C&e  JUbratp 
GJntoersitg  of  JQortb  Catolin 


WUh  Annex 


THE  LIBRARY  OF  THE 
UNIVERSITY  OF 


ENDOWED  BY  THE 
DIALECTIC  AND  PHILANTHROPIC 
~  SOCIETIES 


E  IM 

.S8U 


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DATE                     DFT 
DUE 

DATE 

DDE                      KtT- 

- 

LncraiM 

a 

i  w 

JAN  2  9 

1997 

SEP1? 

2003 

-  -t- 

"jwe  ? 

•  mr 

i^i  ■••■'  -  ■ 

i     w^ . 

«a   -      — -- 

J 


UNIVERSITY  OF  N.C.  AT  CHAPEL  HILL 


10001986013 


■-<? 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2012  with  funding  from 

University  of  North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hill 


http://archive.org/details/twentytwoyearsslstew 


TWENTY-TWO  YEARS  A  SLATE, 


AND 


FORTY  YEARS  A  FREEMAN; 


EMBRACING   A 


PRESIDENT   OF   WILBERFORCE   COLONY, 


AUSTIN     STEW 


rlxfi) 


ROCHESTER,    N^S2£CHAP^ 

PUBLISHED    BT    WILLIAM    ALLING,    EXCHAN7 
1857. 


/ 


A 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1856,  by 

WM.    ALLIIQ, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office,  of  the  District  Court  of  the  IT.  S.  for  the 

Northern  District  of  New  York. 


&-■  .*■''  *    —        \ 

M.  Stronq.^mCo.,  Bri|tetr8. 

\ 


j 

/ 


Coi/vix  &  Crowell,  Stereotj'pers. 


FKOM    GOYEKNOK    CLAKK 


State  of  New  York, 

Executive  Department, 

Albany,  May  10, 1856. 
Mr.  A.  Steward,  Canandaigua, 

Dear  Sir  : — I  notice  a  paragraph  in  the  "Ontario 
Times"  of  this  date,  mating  the  announcement  that  you  are 
preparing  "  a  sketch  of  events  occurring  under  your  own  obser- 
vation during  an  eventful  life,"  to  be  entitled,  "  Twenty  Years  a 
Slave,  and  Forty  Years  a  Freeman ; "  and  that  you  design  soon  to 
make  an  effort  to  obtain  subscribers  for  the  book. 

Being   desirous  of  rendering   you  what    encouragement  I  may 
in  the  work,  you   are   permitted  to   place  my  name  on    your   list 

of    subscribers. 

Respectfully  Yours, 

MYRON  H.   CLARK. 


rr 

A 


Rochester,  September,  1856. 
Mr.  Wm.  Alling, 

Dear  Sir: — The  undersigned  have  heard  with 
pleasure,  that  you  are  about  issuing  a  Book  made  up  from  inci- 
dents in  the  life  of  Austin  Steward.  We  have  been  the  early 
acquaintances  and  associates  of  Mr.  Steward,  while  a  business 
man  in  Rochester  in  an  early  day,  and  take  pleasure  in  bearing 
testimony  to  his  high  personal,  moral  and  Christian  character. 
In  a  world  of  vicissitude,  Mr.  Steward  has  received  no  ordinary 
share,  and  we  hope,  while  his  book  may  do  the  world  good,  it 
may  prove  a  substantial  benefit  to  him  in  his  declining  years. 

Ashley  Sampson, 
Thomas  Kempshall, 
Frederick  Starr, 
Chas.  J.  Hill, 
L.  A.  "Ward,  . 
Edwix  Sorantom, 
- .  ^  Jacob  Gould. 


RECOMMENDATORY. 


Rochester,  July  1,  1856. 
A.  Steward,  Esq., 

Deai*  Sir: — In  reply  to  your  letter  upon  the 
propriety  of  publishing  your  life,  I  answer,  that  there  is  not  only  no 
objection  to  it,  but  it  will  be  timely,  and  is  demanded  by  every  con- 
sideration of  humanity  and  justice.  Every  tongue  which  speaks  for 
Freedom,  which  has  once  been  held  by  the  awful  gag  of  Slavery,  is 
trumpet- tongued — and  he  who  pleads  against  this  monstrous  oppres- 
sion, if  he  can  say,  "  here  are  the  scars,"  can  do  much. 

It  is  a  great  pleasure  to  me  to  run  back  to  my  boyhood,  and  stop  at 
that  spot  where  I  first  met  you.  I  recollect  the  story  of  your  wrongs, 
and  your  joy  in  the  supposition  that  all  were  now  ended  in  your 
freedom;  of  your  thirst  for  knowledge,  as  you  gathered  up  from  the 
rudimental  books — not  then  very  plenty — a  few  snatches  of  the 
elements  of  the  language;  of  playing  the  school-master  to  you,  in 
"setting  copies"  for  your  writing-book;  of  guiding  your  mind  and 
pen.  I  remember  your  commencement  in  business,  and  the  outrage 
and  indignity  offered  you  in  Rochester,  by  white  competitors  on  no 
other  ground  than  that  of  color.*     I  saw  your  bitter  tears,  and  recol- 

*  The  indignity  spoken  of  was  this  :  Mr.  Steward  had  established  a  grocery  and 
provision  store  on  Buffalo  Street,  in  a  part  of  Abner  Wakelee's  building,  opposite 
the  Eagle  Hotel.  lie  put  up  his  sign,  a  very  plain  and  proper  one,  and  at  night, 
some  competitors,  whom  he  knew,  as  well  as  he  could  know  anything  which  he 
could  not  prove,  smeared  his  sign  with  black  paint,  utterly  destroying  it !"  But  the 
misguided  men  who  stooped  to  such  an  act — the  victims  of  sensuality  and  excess — 
have  yervs  ago  ended  their  journey,  and  passed  to  the  bar  of  a  higher  adjudi- 
cation. 


VI  RECOMMENDATORY. 

lect  assuring  you — what  afterwards  proved  time — that  justice  would 
overtake  the  offenders,  and  that  you  "would  live  to  see  these  enemies 
bite  the  dust !  I  remember  your  unsullied  character,  and  your  pros- 
perity, and  when  your  word  or  endorsement  was  equal  to  that  of  any 
other  citizen.  I  remember  too,  when  yourself,  and  others  of  your 
kind,  sunk  all  the  gatherings  of  years  of  toil,  in  an  unsuccessful 
attempt  to  establish  an  asylum  for  your  enslaved  and  oppressed 
brethren — and,  not  to  enumerate,  which  I  might  do  much  farther,  I 
remember  when  your  "old  master,"  finding  you  had  been  successful, 
while  he  himself  had  lost  in  the  changes  on  fortune's  wheel — came 
here  and  set  up  a  claim  to  yourself  and  your  property — a  claim  which 
might  have  held  both,  had  not  a  higher  power  suddenly  summoned 
him  to  a  tribunal,  where  both  master  and  slave  shall  one  day  answer 
each  for  himself ! 

But  to  the  book.  Let  its  plain,  unvarnished  tale  be  sent  out,  and  the 
story  of  Slavery  and  its  abominations,  again  be  told  by  one  who  has 
felt  in  his  own  person  its  scorpion  lash,  and  the  weight  of  its  grind- 
ing heel.  I  think  it  will  do  good  service,  and  could  not  have  been 
sent  forth  at  a  more  auspicious  period.  The  downfall  of  the  hateful 
system  of  Slavery,  is  certain.  Though  long  delayed,  justice  is  sure 
to  come  at  leDgth;  and  he  must  be  a  slow  thinker  and  a  poor  seer, 
who  cannot  discern  in  the  elements  already  at  work,  the  mighty 
forces  which  must  eventually  crush  this  oppression.  I  know  that 
you  and  I  have  felt  discouraged  at  the.  long  delay,  years  ago, — when 
we  might  have  kept  up  our  hopes  by  the  fact  that  every  thing  that  is 
slow  is  sure.  Your  book  may  be  humble  and  your  descriptions  tame, 
yet  truth  is  always  mighty;  and  you  may  furnish  the  sword  for  some 
modern  Sampson,  who  shall  shout  over  more  slain  than  his  ancient 
prototype.  I  close  with  the  wish,  that  much  success  may  attend 
your  labors,  in  more  ways  than  one,  and  that  your  last  days  may  be 

your  best — and  am, 

Your  old  Friend, 

And  obed't  serv't, 

EDWIN"   SCRAtfTOM. 


CONTENTS 


I. 


PAGE. 

Slave  Life  on  the  Plantation,       ------      13 


II. 
At  the  Great  House,  -------  20 

III. 
Hgrse-Racing  and  its  Consequences,       -         -         -  -       40 

IV. 

Journey  to  our  N?.w  Home  in  ]ST>:w  York,  -        -        -        -  52 

Y. 

Incidents  at  Sodus,         --------56 

YI. 

Removal  from  Sodus  to  Bath,  -       -  60 

YII. 

Dueling, 64 


V1U  CONTENTS. 


VIII. 


PAGK. 

Horse-Racing  and  Genlral  Training,  -  69 


IX. 

Death-Bed  and  Bridal  Scenes,  84 

X. 

Hired  Out  to  a  New  Masteb, 92 

XL 

Thoughts  on  Freedom  ----___     106 

XII. 

Captain  Helm — Divorce — Kidnapping,         -         -         -         -         116 

XIII. 

Locate  in  the  Village  of  Rochester,     -----     124 

XIY. 

Incidents  in  Rochbst.br  and  Vicinitt,  -        -        -        -         1 38 

XV. 

Sad  Reverses  of  Captain  Hslm,  -  -     145 

XVI. 

British  Emancipation  of  Slavery,       -----         149 

XVII. 

Oration — Termination  of  Slavery  in  the  British  Possessions.     153 

XVIII. 

Condition  of  Free  Colored  People, 164 


» 


CONTENTS. 


IX 


XIX. 

Persecution  of  the  Colored  People, 


PAGE. 

-     173 


XX. 


Removal  to  Canada, 


183 


XXI. 

RoUGHIHG  IT  IN  THE  WlLDS  OF  C  AN  AD  A, 


190 


XXII. 

Narrow  Escape  of  a  Smuggler, 


196 


XXIII. 

Narrative  of  Two  Fugitives  from  Virginia,   - 


-    202 


XXIV. 
Pleasant  Re-Union  of  Old  and  Tried  Friends, 


210 


XXY. 

Private  Losses  and  Private  Difficulties, 


219 


XXVI. 

Incidents  and  Peculiarities  of  the  Indians, 


223 


XXVII. 

Our  Difficulties  with  Israel  Lewis, 


232 


XXVIII. 

DfiSPERATION  OF  A  FUGITIVE  SLAVE, 


245 


XXIX. 

A  Narrow  Escape  from  Mr  Enemies, 

A* 


-    253 


X  CONTENTS. 

XXX. 

PAGE. 

Death  of  B.  Paul  and  Return  of  his  Brother,  -    -        257 

XXXI. 

My  Family  Return  to  Rochester,  -  268 

"  XXXII. 

The  Land  Agent  and  the  Squatter,  -        -...'-        -        -         274 

xxxm. 

Character  and  Death  of  Israel  Lewis,  -  282 

XXXIY. 

My  Return  to  Rochester,  ------        290 

XXXV. 

Bishop  Brown — Death  of  my  Daughter,  -  299 

XXXVI. 

Celebration  of  the  First  of  August,  -        -        -        -         311 

XXXVII. 

Conclusion,      -  --------    316 

Correspondence,  --------        341 


P  KEF  ACE 


The  author  does  not  think  that  any  apology  is  necessary  for  this 
issue  of  his  Life  and  History.  He  believes  that  American  Slavery  is 
now  the  great  question  before  the  American  People:  that  it  is  not 
merely  a  political  question,  coming  up  before  the  country  as  the 
grand  element  in  the  making  of  a  President,  and  then  to  be  laid 
aside  for  four  years;  but  that  its  moral  bearings  are  of  such  a  nature 
that  the  Patriot,  the  Philanthropist,  and  all  good  men  agree  that  it  is 
an  evil  of  so  much  magnitude,  that  longer  to  permit  it,  is  to  wink  at 
sin,  and  to  incur  the  righteous  judgments  of  God.  The  late  outrages 
and  aggressions  of  the  slave  power  to  possess  itself  of  new  soil,  and 
extend  the  influence  of  the  hateful  and  God-provoking  "  Institution," 
is  a  practical  commentary  upon  its  benefits  and  the  moral  qualities  of 
those  who  seek  to  sustain  and  extend  it.  The  author  is  therefore 
the  more  willing — nay,  anxious,  to  lay  alongside  of  such  arguments 
the  history  of  his  own  life  and  experiences  a*  a  slave,  that  those  who 
read  may  know  what  are  some  of  the  characteristics  of  that  highly 
favored  intitution,  which  is  sought  to  be  presei-ved  and  perpetuated. 
u  Facts  are  stubborn  things," — and  this  is  the  reason  why  all  systems, 
religious,  moral,  or  social,  which  are  founded  in  injustice,  and  sup- 
ported by  fraud  and  robbery,  suffer  so  much  by  faithful  exposition. 

The  author  has  endeavored  to  present  a  true  stetement  of  the  prac- 
tical working*  of  the  system  of  Slavery,  as  he  lias  seen  and  felt  U 
himself.    He  has  intended  "  nothing  to  extenuate,  nor  aught  set  down 


Xll  PKEFACE. 

in  malice;"  indeed,  so  far  from  believing  that  lie  has  misrepresented 
Slavery  as  an  institution,  he  does  not  feel  that  he  has  the  power  to 
give  anything  like  a  time  picture  of  it  in  all  its  deformity  and 
■wickedness;  especially  that  Slavery  which  is  an  institution  among  an 
enlightened  and  Christian  people,  who  profess  to  believe  that  all 
men  are  born  free  and  equal,  and  who  have  certain  inalienable  rights, 
among  which  are  life,  liberty,  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness. 

The  author  claims  that  he  has  endeavored  since  he  had  his 
freedom,  as  much  as  in  him  lay,  to  benefit  his  suffering  fellows  in 
bondage;  and  that  he  has  spent  most  of  his  free  life  in  efforts  to 
elevate  them  in  manners  and  morals,  though  against  all  the  opposing 
forces  of  prejudice  and  pride,  which  of  course,  has  made  much  of  his 
labor  vain.  In  his  old  age  he  sends  out  this  history — presenting  as 
it  were  his  own  body,  with  the  marks  and  scars  of  the  tender  7nercies 
of  slave  drivers  upon  it,  and  asking  that  these  may  plead  in  the 
name  of  Justice,  Humanity,  and  Mercy,  that  those  who  have  the 
power,  may  have  the  magnanimity  to  strike  off  the  chains  from  the 
enslaved,  and  bid  him  stand  up,  a  Freeman  and  a  Brother ! 


CHAPTER    I 


SLAVE  LIFE  ON  THE  PLANTATION. 

I  WAS  born  in  Prince  William  County,  Virginia. 
At  seven  years  of  age,  I  found  myself  a  slave  on 
the  plantation  of  Capt.  William  Helm.  Our  family 
consisted  of  my  father  and  mother — whose  names 
were  Eobert  and  Susan  Steward — a  sister,  Mary, 
and  myself.  As  was  the  usual  custom,  we  lived  in 
a  small  cabin,  built  of  rough  boards,  with  a  floor  of 
earth,  and  small  openings  in  the  sides  of  the  cabin 
were  substituted  for  windows.  The  chimney  was 
built  of  sticks  and  mud;  the  door,  of  rough  boards; 
and  the  whole  was  put  together  in  the  rudest  possible 
manner.  As  to  the  furniture  of  this  rude  dwelling, 
it  was  procured  by  the  slaves  themselves,  who  were 
occasionally  permitted  to  earn  a  little  money  after 
their  day's  toil  was  done.  I  never  knew  Capt.  H. 
to  furnish  his  slaves  with  household  utensils  of  any 
description. 


14  WEEKLY  ALLOWANCE  OF  FOOD. 

The  amount  of  provision  given  out  on  the  planta- 
tion per  week,  was  invariably  one  peck  of  corn  or 
•neal  for  each  slave.  This  allowance  was  given  in 
meal  when  it  could  be  obtained;  when  it  could  not, 
they  received  corn,  which  they  pounded  in  mortars 
after  they  returned  from  their  labor  in  the  field.  The 
slaves  on  our  plantation  were  provided  with  very 
little  meat.  In  addition  to  the  peck  of  corn  or  meal, 
they  were  allowed  a  little  salt  and  a  few  herrings. 
If  they  wished  for  more,  they  were  obliged  to  earn  it 
by  over-work.  They  were  permitted  to  cultivate 
small  gardens,  and  were  thereby  enabled  to  provide 
themselves  with  many  trifling  conveniences.  But 
these  gardens  were  only  allowed  to  some  of  the  more 
industrious.  Gapt.  Helm  allowed  his  slaves  a  small 
quantity  of  meat  during  harvest  time,  but  when  the 
harvest  was  over  they  were  obliged  to  fall  back  on 
the  old  allowance. 

It  was  usual  for  men  and  women  to  work  side  by 
side  on  our  plantation ;  and  in  many  kinds  of  work, 
the  women  were  compelled  to  do  as  much  as  the  men. 
Capt.  H.  employed  an  overseer,  whose  business  it  was 
to  look  after  each  slave  in  the  field,  and  see  that  he 
performed  his  task.  The  overseer  always  went  around 
with  a  whip/  about  nine  feet  long,  made  of  the 
toughest  kind  of  cowhide,  the  but-end  of  which  was 
^oaded  with  lead,  and  was  about  four  or  five  inches  in 
circumference,   running  to  a  point  at  the  opposite 


SLAVE  LIFE  ON  THE  PLANTATION.       15 

•extremity.  This  made  a  dreadful  instrument  of  tor- 
ture, and,  when  in  the  hands  of  a  cruel  overseer,  it 
was  truly  fearful.  With  it,  the  skin  of  an  ox  or  a 
horse  could  be  cut  through.  Hence,  it  was  no 
uncommon  thing  to  see  the  poor  slaves  with  their 
backs  mangled  in  a  most  horrible  manner.  Our  over- 
seer, thus  armed  with  his  cowhide,  and  with  a  large 
bull-dog  behind  him,  followed  the  slaves  all  day ;  and, 
if  one  of  them  fell  in  the  rear  from,  any  cause,  this 
cruel  weapon  was  plied  with  terrible  force.  He  would 
strike  the  dog  one  blow  and  the  slave  another,  in 
order  to  keep  the  former  from  tearing  the  delinquent 
slave  in  pieces, — such  was  the  ferocity  of  his  canine 
attendant. 

It  was  the  rule  for  the  slaves  to  rise  and  be  ready 
for  their  task  by  sun-rise,  on  the  blowing  of  a  horn  or 
conch-shell;  and  woe  be  to  the  unfortuate,  who  was 
not  in  the  field  at  the  time  appointed,  which  was  in 
thirty  minutes  from  the  first  sounding  of  the  horn.  I 
have  heard  the  poor  creatures  beg  as  for  their  lives,  of 
the  inhuman  overseer,  to  desist  from  his  cruel  punish- 
ment. Hence,  they  were  usually  found  in  the  field 
"  betimes  in  the  morning,"  (to  use  an  old  Yirginia 
phrase),  where  they  worked  until  nine  o'clock.  They 
were  then  allowed  thirty  minutes  to  eat  their  morning 
meal,  which  consisted  of  a  little  bread.  At  a  given 
signal,  all  hands  were  compelled  to  return  to  their 
work       They  toiled  until  noon,   when  they  were 


16  MODE  OF  COOKING. 

permitted  to  take  their  breakfast,  which  corresponds 
to  our  dinner. 

On  our  plantation,  it  was  the  usual  practice  to  have 
one  of  the  old  slaves  set  apart  to  do  the  cooking.  All 
the  field  hands  were  required  to  give  into  the  hands 
of  the  cook  a  certain  portion  of  their  weekly  allow 
ance,  either  in  dough  or  meal,  which  was  prepared  in 
the  following  manner.  The  cook  made  a  hot  fire 
and  rolled  up. each  person's  portion  in  some  cabbage 
leaves,  when  they  could  be  obtained,  and  placed  it  in 
a  hole  in  the  ashes,  carefully  covered  with  the  same, 
where  it  remained  until  done.  Bread  baked  in  this 
way  is  very  sweet  and  good.  But  cabbage  leaves 
could  not  always  be  obtained.  "When  this  was  the 
case,  the  bread  was  little  better  than  a  mixture  of 
dough  and  ashes,  which  was  not  very  palatable.  The 
time  allowed  for  breakfast,  was  one  hour.  At  the 
signal,  all  hands  were  obliged  to  resume  their  toil. 
The  overseer  was  always  on  hand  to  attend  to  all 
delinquents,  who  never  failed  to  feel  the  blows  of  his 
heavy  whip. 

The  usual  mode  of  punishing  the  poor  slaves  was, 
to  make  them  take  off  their  clothes  to  'the  bare  back, 
and  then  tie  their  hands  before  them  with  a  rope,  pass 
the  end  of  the  rope  over  a  beam,  and  draw  them  up 
till  they  stood  on  the  tips  of  their  toes.  Sometimes 
they  tied  their  legs  together  and  placed  a  rail  between. 
Thus  prepared,  the  overseer  proceeded  to  punish  the 


SLAVE   LIFE   ON  THE   PLANTATION.  17 

poor,  helpless  victim.  Thirty-nine  was  the  number 
of  lashes  ordinarily  inflicted  for  the  most  trifling 
offence. 

Who  can  imagine  a  position  more  painful?  Oh, 
who,  with  feelings  of  common  humanity,  could  look 
quietly  on  such  torture?  "Who  could  remain  un- 
moved, to  see  a  fellow-creature  thus  tied,  unable  to 
move  or  to  raise  a  hand  in  his  own  defence ;  scourged 
on  his  bare  back,  with  a  cowhide,  until  the  blood 
flows  in  streams  from  his  quivering  flesh  ?  And  for 
what?  Often  for  the  most  trifling  fault;  and,  as 
sometimes  occurs,  because  a  mere  whim  or  caprice 
of  his  brutal  overseer  demands  it.  Pale  with  pas- 
sion, his  eyes  flashing  and  his  stalwart  frame  trembling 
with  rage,  like  some  volcano,  just  ready  to  belch  forth 
its  fiery  contents,  and,  in  all  its  might  and  fury,  spread 
death  and  destruction  all  around,  he  continues  to 
wield  the  bloody  lash  on  the  broken  flesh  of  the  poor, 
pleading  slave,  until  his  arm  grows  weary,  or  he 
sinks  down,  utterly  exhausted,  on  the  very  spot  where 
already  stand  the  pools  of  blood  which  his  cruelty  has 
drawn  from  the  mangled  body  of  his  helpless  victim, 
and  within  the  hearing  of  those  agonized  groans  and 
feeble  cries  of  "  Oh  do,  Massa !  Oh  do,  Massa ! 
Do,  Lord,  have  mercy!     Oh,  Lord,  have  mercy! "  &c. 

Nor  is  this  cruel  punishment  inflicted  on  the  bare 
backs  of  the  male  portion  of  slaves  only.  Oh  no! 
The  slave  husband  must  submit  without  a  murmur,  to 


.18  CRUELTY   OF  THE   OVERSEER. 

see  the  form  of  his  cherished,  but  wretched  wife,  not 
only  exposed  to  the  rude  gaze  of  a  beastly  tyrant,  but 
he  must  unresistingly  see  the  heavy  cowhide  descend 
upon  her  shrinking  flesh,  and  her  manacled  limbs 
writhe  in  inexpressible  torture,  while  her  piteous  cries 
for  help  ring  through  his  ears  unanswered.  The  wild 
throbbing  of  his  heart  must  be  suppressed,  and  his 
righteous  indignation  find  no  voice,  in  the  presence  of 
the  human  monster  who  holds  dominion  over  him. 

After  the  infuriated  and  heartless  overseer  had  sati- 
ated his  thirst  for  vengeance,  on  the  disobedient  or 
delinquent  slave,  he  was  untied,  and  left  to  crawl 
away  as  best  he  could;  sometimes  on  his  hands  and 
knees,  to  his  lonely  and  dilapidated  cabin,  where, 
stretched  upon  the  cold  earth,  he  lay  weak  and  bleed- 
ing and  often  faint  from  the  loss  of  blood,  without  a 
friend  who  dare  administer  to  his  necessities,  and 
groaning  in  the  agony  of  his  crushed  spirit.  In  his 
cabin,  which  was  not  as  good  as  many  of  our  stables 
at  the  North,  he  might  lie  for  weeks  before  recovering 
sufficient  strength  to  resume  the  labor  imposed  upon 
him,  and  all  this  time  without  a  bed  or  bed  clothing, 
or  any  of  the  necessaries  considered  so  essential  to  the 
sick. 

Perhaps  some  of  his  fellow-slaves  might  come  and 
bathe  his  wounds  in  warm  water,  to  prevent  his 
clothing  from  tearing  open  his  flesh  anew,  and  thus 
make  the  second  suffering  well  nigh  equal  to  the  first ; 


SLAVE  LIFE  ON  THE  PLANTATION.  19 

or  they  might  from  their  scanty  store  bring  him  such 
food  as  they  could  spare,  to  keep  him  from  suffering 
hunger,  and  offer  their  sympathy,  and  then  drag  their 
own  weary  bodies  to  their  place  of  rest,  after  their 
daily  task  was  finished. 

Oh,  you  who  have  hearts  to  feel;  you  who  have 
kind  friends  around  you,  in  sickness  and  in  sorrow, 
think  of  the  sufferings  of  the  helpless,  destitute,  and 
down-trodden  slave.  Has  sickness  laid  its  withering 
hand  upon  you,  or  disappointment  blasted  your  fairest 
earthly  prospects,  still,  the  outgushings  of  an  affec- 
tionate heart  are  not  denied  you,  and  you  may  look 
forward  with  hope  to  a  bright  future.  Such  a  hope 
seldom  animates  the  heart  of  the  poor  slave.  He  toils 
on,  in  his  unrequited  labor,  looking  only  to  the  grave 
to  find  a  quiet  resting  place,  where  he  will  be  free 
from  the  oppressor. 


CHAPTEE    II 


AT  THE  GKEAT  HOUSE. 

WHEN*  eight  years  of  age,  I  was  taken  to  the 
"  great  house,"  or  the  family  mansion  of  my 
master,  to  serve  as  an  errand  boy,  where  I  had  to 
stand  in  the  presence  of  my  master's  family  all  the 
day,  and  a  part  of  the  night,  ready  to  do  any  thing 
which  they  commanded  me  to  perform. 

My  master's  family  consisted  of  himself  and  wife, 
and  seven  children.  His  overseer,  whose  name  was 
Barsly  Taylor,  had  also  a  wife  and  five  children. 
These  constituted  the  white  population  on  the  plan- 
tation. Capt.  Helm  was  the  owner  of  about  one 
hundred  slaves,  which  made  the  residents  on  the  plan- 
tation number  about  one  hundred  and  sixteen  per- 
sons in  all.  One  hundred  and  seven  of  them,  were 
required  to  labor  for  the  benefit  of  the  remaining 
nine,  who  possessed  that  vast  domain ;  and  one  hundred 
of  the  number  doomed  to  unrequited  toil,  under  the 


AT  THE   GREAT  HOUSE.  21 

lash  of  a  cruel  task-master  during  life,  with  no  hope 
of  release  this  side  of  the  grave,  and  as  far  as  the 
cruel  oppressor  is  concerned,  shut  out  from  hope 
beyond  it. 

And  here  let  me  ask,  why  is  this  practice  of  work- 
ing slaves  half  clad,  poorly  fed,  with  nothing  or 
nearly  so,  to  stimulate  them  to  exertion,  but  fear  of 
the  lash?  Do  the  best  interests  of  our  common 
country  require  it  ?  I  think  not.  Did  tbs  true  inter- 
est of  Capt.  Helm  demand  it  ?  Whatever  may  have 
been  his  opinion,  I  cannot  think  it  did.  Can  it  be  for 
the  best  interest  or  good  of  the  enslaved  ?  Certainly 
not;  for  there  is  no  real  inducement  for  the  slave- 
holder to  make  beasts  of  burden  of  his  fellow  men, 
but  that  which  was  frankly  acknowledged  by  Gibbs 
and  other  pirates:  "we  have  the  power," — the  power 
to  rob  and  murder  on  the  high  seas! — which  they 
will  undoubtedly  continue  to  hold,  until  overtaken 
by  justice;  which  will  certainly  come  some  time,  just 
as  sure  as  that  a  righteous  God  reigns  over  the  earth 
or  rules  in  heaven. 

Some  have  attempted  to  apologize  for  the  enslaving 
of  the  Negro,  by  saying  that  they  are  inferior  to  the 
Anglo-saxon  race  in  every  respect.  This  charge  I 
deny;  it  is  utterly  false.  Does  not  the  Bible  inform 
us  that  "  God  hath  created  of  one  blood  all  the  nations 
of  the  earth? "  And  certainly  in  stature  and  physical 
force  the  colored  man  is  quite  equal  to  his  white 


22  CAPT.   HELM,   A  GKEAT  GAMESTER. 

brother,  and  in  many  instances  his  superior ;  but  were 
it  otherwise,  I  can  not  see  why  the  more  favored  class 
should  enslave  the  other.  True,  God  has  given  to  the 
African  a  darker  complexion  than  to  his  white  brother : 
still,  each  have  the  same  desires  and  aspirations.  The 
food  required  for  the  sustenance  of  one  is  equally 
necessary  for  the  other.  Naturally  or  physically, 
they  alike  require  to  be  warmed  by  the  cheerful  fire, 
when  chilled  by  our  northern  winter's  breath;  and 
alike  they  welcome  the  cool  spring  and  the  delightful 
shade  of  summer.  Hence,  I  have  come  to  the  con- 
clusion that  Grod  created  all  men  free  and  equal,  and 
placed  them  upon  this  earth  to  do  good  and  benefit 
each  other,  and  that  war  and  slavery  should  be  ban- 
ished from  the  face  of  the  earth. 

My  dear  reader  will  not  understand  me  to  say,  that 
all  nations  are  alike  intelligent,  enterprising  and  indus- 
trious, for  we  all  know  that  it  is  far  otherwise ;  but  to 
man,  and  not  to  our  Creator,  should  the  fault  be 
charged.     But,  to  resume  our  narrative, 

Capt.  Helm  was  not  a  very  hard  master;  but  gen- 
erally was  kind  and  pleasant.  Indulgent  when  in 
good  humor,  but  like  many  of  the  southerners,  terrible 
when  in  a  passion.  He  was  a  great  sportsman,  and 
very  fond  of  company.  He  generally  kept  one  or  two 
race  horses,  and  a  pack  of  hounds  for  fox-hunting, 
which  at  that  time,  was  a  very  common  and  fashion- 
able diversion  in  that  section  of  country.    He  was  not 


AT  THE   GREAT  HOUSE.  23 

only  a  sportsman,  but  a  gamester,  and  was  in  the 
habit  of  playing  cards,  and  sometimes  betting  very 
high  and  losing  accordingly. 

I  well  remember  an  instance  of  the  kind:  it  was 
when  he  played  cards  with  a  Mr.  "W.  Graham,  who 
won  from  him  in  one  sweep,  two  thousand  and  seven 
hundred  dollars  in  all,  in  the  form  of  a  valuable  horse, 
prized  at  sixteen  hundred  dollars,  another  saddle- 
horse  of  less  value,  one  slave,  and  his  wife's  gold 
watch.  The  company  decided  that  all  this  was  fairly 
won,  but  Capt.  Helm  demurred,  and  refused  to  give 
up  the  property  until  an  application  was  made  to  Gen. 
George  Washington,  "(the  father  of  his  country,") 
who  decided  that  Capt.  Helm  had  lost  the  game,  and 
that  Mr.  Graham  had  fairly  won  the  property,  of 
which  Mr.  G.  took  immediate  possession,  and  con- 
veyed to  his  own  plantation. 

Capt.  Helm  was  not  a  good  business  man,  unless 
we  call  horse-racing,  fox-hunting,  and  card-playing, 
business.  His  overseer  was  entrusted  with  every 
thing  on  the  plantation,  and  allowed  to  manage  about 
as  he  pleased,  while  the  Captain  enjoyed  himself  in 
receiving  calls  from  his  wealthy  neighbors,  and  in 
drinking  what  he  called  "grog,"  which  was  no  more 
nor  less  than  whisky,  of  which  he  was  extremely 
fond,  notwithstanding  his  cellar  contained  the  choicest 
wines  and  liquors.  To  show  his  partiality  for  his 
favorite  beverage,   I  will  relate   an  incident  which 


'24  MRS.    HELM    USES   THE   COWHIDE. 

occurred  between  Capt.  Helm  and  Col.  Charles 
"Williamson.  The  Colonel,  believing  wine  to  be 
a  healthier  beverage  than  whisky,  accepted  a  bet 
made  by  Capt.  Helm,  of  one  thousand  dollars,  that  he 
would  live  longer  and  drink  whisky,  than  the  Colonel, 
who  drank  wine.  Shortly  after,  Col.  Williamson  was 
called  home  by  the  British  government,  and  while  on 
his  way  to  England,  died,  and  his  body,  preserved  in 
a  cask  of  brandy,  was  taken  home.  The  bet  Capt. 
Helm  made  considerable  effort  to  get,  but  was  unsuc- 
cessful. 

Mrs.  Helm  was  a  very  industrious  woman,  and 
generally  busy  in  her  household  affairs — sewing,  knit- 
ting, and  looking  after  the  servants;  but  she  was  a 
great  scold, — continually  finding  fault  with  some  of 
the  servants,  and  frequently  punishing  the  young 
slaves  herself,  by  striking  them  over  the  head  with  a 
heavy  iron  key,  until  the  blood  ran ;  or  else  whipping 
them  with  a  cowhide,  which  she  always  kept  by  her 
side  when  sitting  in  her  room.  The  older  servants 
she  would  cause  to  be  punished  by  having  them 
severely  whipped  by  a  man,  which  she  never  failed 
to  do  for  every  trifling  fault.  I  have  felt  the  weight 
of  some  of  her  heaviest  keys  on  my  own  head,  and  for 
the  slightest  offences.  No  slave  could  possibly  escape 
being  punished — I  care  not  how  attentive  they  might 
be,  nor  how  industrious — punished  they  must  be,  and 
punished  they  certainly  were.      Mrs.  Helm  appeared 


AT   THE   GREAT   HOUSE.  25 

to  be  uneasy  unless  some  of  the  servants  were  under 
the  lash.  She  came  into  the  kitchen  one  morning  and 
mj  mother,  who  was  cook,  had  just  put  on  the 
dinner.  Mrs.  Helm  took  out  her  white  cambric  hand- 
kerchief, and  rubbed  it  on  the  inside  of  the  pot,  and 
it  crocked  it !  That  was  enough  to  invoke  the  wrath 
of  my  master,  who  came  forth  immediately  with  his 
horse- whip,  with  which  he  whipped  my  poor  mother 
most  unmercifully — far  more  severely  than  I  ever 
knew  him  to  whip  a  horse. 

I  once  had  the  misfortune  to  break  the  lock  of 
master's  shot  gun,  and  when  it  came  to  his  know- 
ledge, he  came  to  me  in  a  towering  passion,  and 
charged  me  with  what  he  considered  the  crime  of 
carelessness.  I  denied  it,  and  told  him  I  knew 
nothing  about  it;  but  I  was  so  terribly  frightened 
that  he  saw  I  was  guilty,  and  told  me  so,  foam- 
ing with  rage ;  and  then  I  confessed  the  truth.  But 
oh,  there  was  no  escaping  the  lash.  Its,  recollection 
is  still  bitter,  and  ever  will  be.  I  was  com- 
manded to  take  off  my  clothes,  which  I  did,  and 
then  master  put  me  on  the  back  of  another  slave,  my 
arms  hanging  down  before  him  and  my  hands  clasped 
in  his,  where  he  was  obliged  to  hold  me  with  a  vise- 
like grasp.  Then  master  gave  me  the  most  severe 
flogging  that  I  ever  received,  and  I  pray  Grod  that  I 
may  never  again  experience  such  torture.  An4  yet 
Capt.  Helm  was  not  the  worsf  of  masters. 
B 


26  HUMILITY   OF   SLAVES. 


■ 


These  cruelties  are  daily  occurrences,  and  so  degrad- 
ing is  the  whole  practice  of  Slavery,  that  it  not  only 

crushes   and  brutalizes  the   wretched  slave,   but    it 
l 
I  hardens  the  heart,  benumbs  all  the  fine  feelings  of 

I  humanity,  and  deteriorates  from  the  character  of  the 
\  slaveholders  themselves,  —  whether  man  or  woman. 
\  Otherwise,  how  could  a  gentle,  and  in  other  respects, 
amiable  woman,  look  on  such  scenes  of  cruelty,  with- 
out a  shudder  of  utter  abhorrence  ?  But  slaveholding 
ladies,  can  not  only  look  on  quietly,  but  with  appro- 
bation ;  and  what  is  worse,  though  very  common,  they 
can  and  do  use  the  lash  and  cowhide  themselves,  on 
the  backs  of  their  slaves,  and  that  too  on  those  of 
their  own  sex !  Far  rather  would  I  spend  my  life  in 
a  State's  Prison,  than  be  the  slave  of  the  best  slave- 
holder on  the  earth ! 

When  I  was  not  employed  as  an  errand-boy,  it  was 
my  duty  to  stand  behind  my  master's  chair,  which 
was  sometimes  the  whole  day,  never  being  allowed  to 
sit  in  his  presence.  Indeed,  no  slave  is  ever  allowed 
to  sit  down  in  the  presence  of  their  master  or  mistress. 
If  a  slave  is  addressed  when  sitting,  he  is  required  to 
spring  to  his  feet,  and  instantly  remove  his  hat,  if  lie 
has  one,  and  answer  in  the  most  humble  manner,  or 
lay  the  foundation  for  a  flogging,  which  will  not  be 
long  delayed. 

I  slept  in  the  same  room  with  my  master  and  mis- 
tress.   This  room  was  elegantly  furnished  with  damask 


AT   THE   GEE  AT   HOUSE.  27 

curtains,  mahogany  bedstead  of  the  most  expensive 
kind,  and  every  thing  else  about  it  was  of  the  most 
costly  kind.  And  while  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Helm  reposed 
on  their  bed  of  down,  with  a  cloud  of  lace  floating 
over  them,  like  some  Eastern  Prince,  with  their  slaves 
to  fan  them  while  they  slept,  and  to  tremble  when 
they  awoke,  I  always  slept  upon  the  floor,  without  a 
pillow  or  even  a  blanket,  but,  like  a  dog,  lay  down 
anywhere  I  could  find  a  place. 

Slaves  are  never  allowed  to  leave  the  plantation  to 
which  they  belong,  without  a  written  pass.  Should 
any  one  venture  to  disobey  this  law,  he  will  most 
likely  be  caught  by  the  patrol  and  given  thirty-nine 
lashes.  This  patrol  is  always  on  duty  every  Sunday, 
going  to  each  plantation  under  their  supervision, 
entering  every  slave  cabin,  and  examining  closely  the 
conduct  of  the  slaves;  and  if  they  find  one  slave 
from  another  plantation  without  a  pass,  he  is  imme- 
diately punished  with  a  severe  flogging. 

I  recollect  going  one  Sunday  with  my  mother,  to 
visit  my  grand-mother;  and  while  there,  two  or  three 
of  the  patrol  came  and  looked  into  the  cabin,  and  see- 
ing my  mother,  demanded  her  pass.  She  told  them 
that  she  had  one,  but  had  left  it  in  another  cabin,  from 
whence  she  soon  brought  it,  which  saved  her  a  whip- 
ping but  we  were  terribly  frightened. 

The  reader  will  obtain  a  better  knowledge  of  the 
character  of  a  Virginia  patrol,  by  the  relation  of  an 


28  A   KltfD   MASTER. 

affair,  which,  came  off  on  the  neighboring  plantation 
of  Col.  Alexander,  in  which  some  forty  of  Capt. 
Helm's  slaves  were  engaged,  and  which  proved  rather 
destructive  of  human  life  in  the  end. 

But  I  mnst  first  say  that  it  is  not  true,  that  slave 
owners  are  respected  for  kindness  to  their  slaves. 
The  more  tyrannical  a  master  is,  the  more  will  he  be 
favorably  regarded  by  his  neighboring  planters;  and 
from  the  day  that  he  acquires  the  reputation  of  a  kind 
and  indulgent  master,  he  is  looked  upon  with  sus- 
picion, and  sometimes  hatred,  and  his  slaves  are 
watched  more  closely  than  before. 

Col.  Alexander  was  a  very  wealthy  planter  and 
owned  a  great  number  of  slaves,  but  he  was  very 
justly  suspected  of  being  a  kind,  humane,  and  indul- 
gent master.  His  slaves  were  always  better  fed, 
better  clad,  and  had  greater  privileges  than  any  I 
knew  in  the  Old  Dominion ;  and  of  course,  the  patrol 
had  long  had  an  eye  on  them,  anxious  to  flog  some  of 
"those  pampered  niggers,  who  were  spoiled  by  the 
indulgence  of  a  weak,  inefficient,  but  well-meaning 
owner." 

Col.  A.  gave  his  slaves  the  liberty  to  get  up  a  grand 
dance.  Invitations  were  sent  and  accepted,  to  a  large 
number  of  slaves  on  other  plantations,  and  so,  for 
miles  around,  all  or  many  of  the  slaves  were  in  high 
anticipation  of  joining  in  the  great  dance,  which  was 
to  come  off  on  Easter  night.     In  the  mean  time,  the 


AT  THE   GREAT  HOUSE.  29 

patrol  was  closely  watching  their  movements,  and 
evinced  rather  a  joyful  expectancy  of  the  many  they 
should  find  there  without  a  pass,  and  the  flogging 
they  would  give  them  for  that,  if  not  guilty  of  any 
other  offence,  and  perhaps  they  might  catch  some  of 
the  Colonel's  slaves  doing  something  for  which  they 
could  be  taught  "to  know  their  place,"  by  the  appli- 
cation of  the  cowhide. 

The  slaves  on  Col.  A.'s  plantation  had  to  provide 
and  prepare  the  supper  for  the  expected  vast  "turn 
out,"  which  was  no  light  matter;  and  as  slaves  like 
on  such  occasions  to  pattern  as  much  as  possible  after 
their  master's  family,  the  result  was,  to  meet  the 
emergency  of  the  case,  they  took,  without  saying,  "by 
your  leave,  Sir,"  some  property  belonging  to  their 
master,  reasoning  among  themselves,  as  slaves  often 
do,  that  it  can  not  be  stealing,  because  "it  belongs  to 
massa,  and  so  do  ive,  and  we  only  use  one  part  of  his 
property  to  benefit  another.  Sure,  'tis  all  massa's." 
And  if  they  do  not  get  detected  in  this  removal 
of  "  massa's  property"  from  one  location  to  another, 
they  think  no  more  of  it. 

Col.  Alexander's  slaves  were  hurrying  on  with  their 
great  preparations  for  the  dance  and  feast;  and  as  the 
time  drew  near,  the  old  and  knowing  ones  might  be 
seen  in  groups,  discussing  the  matter,  with  many  a 
wink  and  nod ;  but  it  was  in  the  valleys  and  by -places 
where  the  younger  portion  were  to  be  found,  rather 


30  AT   THE    GHEAT   HOUSE. 

secretly  preparing  food  for  the  great  time  coining. 
This  consisted  of  hogs,  sheep,  calves;  and  as  to 
master's  poultry,  that  suffered  daily.  Sometimes  it 
was  missed,  but  the  disappearance  was  always  easily 
accounted  for,  by  informing  "massa"  that  a  great  num- 
ber of  hawks  had  been  around  of  late;  and  their 
preparation  went  on,  night  after  night,  undetected. 
They  who  repaired  to  a  swamp  or  other  by -place  to 
cook  by  night,  carefully  destroyed  everything  likely 
to  detect  them,  before  they  returned  to  their  cabins  in 
the  morning. 

The  night  for  the  dance  came  at  last,  and  long 
before  the  time,  the  road  leading  to  Col.  Alexander's 
plantation  presented  a  gay  spectacle.  The  females 
were  seen  flocking  to  the  place  of  resort,  with  heads 
adorned  with  gaudy  bandanna  turbans  and  new  calico 
dresses,  of  the  gayest  colors, — their  whole  attire 
decked  over  with  bits  of  gauze  ribbon  and  other 
fantastic  finery.  The  shades  of  night  soon  closed  over 
the  plantation,  and  then  could  be  heard  the  rude 
music  and  loud  laugh  of  the  unpolished  slave.  It 
was  about  ten  o'clock  when  the  aristocratic  slaves  began 
to  assemble,  dressed  in  the  cast-off  finery  of  their 
master  and  mistress,  swelling  out  and  putting  on  airs 
in  imitation  of  those  they  were  forced  to  obey  froin 
day  to  day. 

When  they  were  all  assembled,  the  dance  com- 
menced ;  the  old  fiddler  struck  up  some  favorite  tune, 


SUFFERING  AND  TOIL  FORGOTTEN.  81 

and  over  the  floor  they  went;  the  flying  feet  of  the 
dancers  were  heard,  pat,  pat,  over  the  apartment  till 
the  clock  warned  them  it  was  twelve  at  midnight,  or 
what  some  call  "low  twelve,"  to  distinguish  it  from 
twelve  o'clock  at  noon;  then  the  violin  ceased  its 
discordant  sounds,  and  the  merry  dancers  paused  to 
take  breath. 

Supper  was  then  announced,  and  all  began  to  pre- 
pare for  the  sumptuous  feast.  It  being  the  pride  of 
slaves  to  imitate  the  manners  of  their  master  and 
mistress,  especially  in  the  ceremonies  of  the  table, 
all  was  conducted  with  great  propriety  and  good 
order.  The  food  was  well  cooked,  and  in  a  very 
plentiful  supply.  They  had  also  managed  in  some 
way,  to  get  a  good  quantity  of  excellent  wine,  which 
was  sipped  in  the  most  approved  and  modern  style. 
Every  dusky  face  was  lighted  up,  and  every  eye 
sparkled  with  joy.  However  ill  fed  they  might 
have  been,  here,  for  once,  there  was  plenty.  Suffer- 
ing and  toil  was  forgotten,  and  they  all  seemed  with 
one  accord  to  give  themselves  up  to  the  intoxication 
of  pleasurable  amusement. 

House  servants  were  of  course,  "  the  stars"  of  the 
party;  all  eyes  were  turned  to  them  to  see  how  they 
conducted,  for  they,  among  slaves,  are  what  a  military 
man  would  call  "fugie-men."  The  Held  hands,  and 
such  of  them  as  have  generally  been  excluded  from 
the  dwelling  of   their  owners,   look  to    the  house 


32  AT  THE   GKEAT  HOUSE. 

servant  as  a  pattern  of  politeness  and  gentility.  And 
indeed,  it  is  often  the  only  method  of  obtaining  any 
knowledge  of  the  manners  of  what  is  called  "  genteel 
society;"  hence,  they  are  ever  regarded  as  a  privileged 
class;  and  are  sometimes  greatly  envied,  while  others 
are  bitterly  hated.  And  too  often  justly,  for  many  of 
them  are  the  most  despicable  tale-bearers  and  mischief- 
makers,  who  will,  for  the  sake  of  the  favor  of  his 
master  or  mistress,  frequently  betray  his  fellow-slave, 
and  by  tattling,  get  him  severely  whipped;  and  for 
these  acts  of  perfidy,  and  sometimes  downright  false- 
hood, he  is  often  rewarded  by  his  master,  who  knows 
it  is  for  his  interest  to  keep  such  ones  about  him; 
though  he  is  sometimes  obliged,  in  addition  to  a 
reward,  to  send  him  away,  for  fear  of  the  vengeance 
of  the  betrayed  slaves.  In  the  family  of  his  master, 
the  example  of  bribery  and  treachery  is  ever  set 
before  him,  hence  it  is,  that  insurrections  and  stam- 
pedes are  so  generally  detected.  Such  slaves  are 
always  treated  with  more  affability  than  others,  for  the 
slaveholder  is  well  aware  that  he  stands  over  a  vol- 
cano, that  may  at  any  moment  rock  his  foundation  to 
the  center,  and  with  one  mighty  burst  of  its  long 
suppressed  fire,  sweep  him  and  his  family  to  destruc- 
tion. When  he  lies  down  at  night,  he  knows  not  but 
that  ere  another  morning  shall  dawn,  he  may  be  left 
mangled  and  bleeding,  and  at  the  mercy  of  those 
maddened  slaves  whom  he  has  so  long  ruled  with  a 
rod  of  iron. 


THE  PARTY  SURPRISED  BY  THE  PATROL.    33 

But  the  supper,  like  other  events,  came  to  an  end  at 
last.  The  expensive  table  service,  with  other  things, 
which  had  been  secretly  brought  from  the  "great 
house,"  was  hurriedly  cleansed  by  the  slaves,  and  care- 
fully returned.  The  floor  was  again  cleared,  the  violin 
sounded,  and  soon  they  were  performing  another 
"break  down,"  with  all  the  wild  abandon  of  the 
African  character, — in  the  very  midst  of  which,  the 
music  suddenly  ceased,  and  the  old  musician  assumed 
a  listening  attitude.  Every  foot  was  motionless; 
every  face  terrified,  and  every  ear  listening  for  the 
cause  of  the  alarm. 

Soon  the  slave  who  was  kept  on  the  "look-out," 
shouted  to  the  listeners  the  single  word  "patrol/" 
and  then  the  tumult  that  followed  that  announcement, 
is  beyond  the  power  of  language  to  describe ! 
Many  a  poor  slave  who  had  stolen  from  his  cabin,  to 
join  in  the  dance,  now  remembered  that  they  had  no 
pass !  Many  screamed  in  aftright,  as  if  they  already 
felt  the  lash  and  heard  the  crack  of  the  overseer's 
whip ;  others  clenched  their  hands,  and  assumed,  an 
attitude  of  bold  defiance,  while  a  savage  frown  con- 
tracted the  brow  of  all.  Their  unrestrained  merri- 
ment and  delicious  fare,  seemed  to  arouse  in  them  the 
natural  feelings  of  self-defence  and  defiance  of  their 
oppressors.  But  what  could  be  done?  The  patrol 
was  nearing  the  building,  when  an  athletic,  powerful 
slave,  who  had  been  but  a  short  time  from  his  "father* 

B* 


34  AT  THE  GREAT  HOUSE. 

land,"  whose  spirit  the  cowardly  overseer  had  labored 
in  vain  to  quell,  said  in  a  calm,  clear  voice,  that  we 
had  better  stand  our  ground,  and  advised*  the  females 
to  lose  no  time  in  useless  wailing,  but  get  their  things 
and  repair  immediately  to  a  cabin  at  a  short  distance, 
and  there  remain  quiet,  without  a  light,  which  they 
did  with  all  possible  haste.  The  men  were  terrified 
at  this  bold  act  of  their  leader;  and  many  with  dismay 
at  the  thought  of  resistance,  began  to  skulk  behind 
fences  and  old  buildings,  when  he  opened  the  door 
and  requested  every  slave  to  leave  who  felt  unwilling 
to  fight.  None  were  urged  to  remain,  and  those 
who  stood  by  him  did  so  voluntarily. 

Their  number  was  now  reduced  to  twenty-five  men, 
but  the  leader,  a  gigantic  African,  with  a  massive, 
compact  frame,  and  an  arm  of  great  strength,  looked 
competent  to  put  ten  common  men  to  flight.  He 
clenched  his  powerful  fist,  and  declared  that  he  would 
resist  unto  death,  before  he  would  be  arrested  by  those 
savage  men,  even  if  they  promised  not  to  flog  him. 
They  closed  the  door,  and  agreed  not  to  open  it ;  and 
then  the  leader  cried,  "  Extinguish  the  lights  and  let 
them  come !  we  will  meet  them  hand  to  hand ! "  Five 
of  the  number  he  stationed  near  the  door,  with  orders 
to  rush  out,  if  the  patrol  entered,  and  seize  their 
horses,  cut  the  bridles,  or  otherwise  unfit  them  for 
use.  This  would  prevent  them  from  giving  an  alarm 
and  getting  a  reinforcement  from  surrounding  planta- 


THE  SLAVES  PLAN  RESISTANCE.  35 

tions.  In  silence  they  awaited  the  approach  of  the 
enemy,  and  soon  the  tramping  of  horses'  feet  announc- 
ed their  approach,  but  when  within  a  few  yards  of  the 
house  they  halted,  and  were  overheard  by  one  of  the 
skulking  slaves,  maturing  their  plans  and  mode  of 
attack.  There  was  great  hesitancy  expressed  by  a 
part  of  the  company  to  engage  in  the  affair  at  all. 

"Coming  events  cast  their  shadow  before." 

The  majority,  however,  seemed  to  think  it  safe  enough, 
and  uttered  expressions  of  triumph  that  they  had  got 
the  rascals  at  last. 

"Are  you  not  afraid  that  they  will  resist?"  said 
the  weaker  party. 

'■  Eesist  ?  "  was  the  astonished  answer.  "  This  old 
fellow,  the  Colonel,  has  pampered  and  indulged  his 
slaves,  it  is  true,  and  they  have  slipped  through  our 
fingers  whenever  we  have  attempted  to  chastise  them ; 
but  they  are  not  such  fools  as  to  dare  resistance ! 
Those  niggers  know  as  well  as  we,  that  it  is  death,  by 
the  law  of  the  State,  for  a  slave  to  strike  a  white  man." 

"Yery  true,"  said  the  other,  "but  it  is  dark  and 
long  past  midnight,  and  beside  they  have  been  indulg- 
ing their  appetites,  and  we  cannot  tell  what  they  may 
attempt  to  do." 

"Pshaw!"  he  answered,  contemptuously,  "they are 
unarmed,  and  I  should  not  fear  in  the  least,  to  go  in 
among  them  alone,  armed  only  with  my  cowhide  i  " 


36  AT   THE   GREAT   HOUSE. 

"As  you  please,  then,"  he  said,  rather  dubiously, 
"but  look  well  to  your  weapons  ;  are  they  in  order?" 

"  In  prime  order,  Sir."  And  putting  spurs  to  their 
horses,  were  soon  at  the  house,  where  they  dismount- 
ed and  requested  one  of  the  party  to  remain  with  the 
horses. 

"  What,"  said  he,  "  are  you  so  chicken-hearted  as  to 
suppose  those  d — d  cowardly  niggers  are  going  to  get 
up  an  insurrection  ?" 

"  Oh  no,"  he  replied,  carelessly,  but  would  not  con- 
sent to  have  the  horses  left  alone.  "  Besides,"  said  he, 
"  they  may  forget  themselves  at  this  late  hour ;  but  if 
they  do,  a  few  lashes  of  the  cowhide  will  quicken  their 
memory,  I  reckon." 

The  slaves  were  aware  of  their  movements,  and 
prepared  to  receive  them. 

They  stepped  up  to  the  door  boldly,  and  demanded 
admittance,  but  all  was  silent ;  they  tried  to  open  it, 
but  it  was  fastened.  Those  inside,  ranged  on  each  side 
of  the  door,  and  stood  perfectly  still. 

The  patrol  finding  the  slaves  not  disposed  to  obey, 
burst  off  the  slight  fastening  that  secured  the  door,  and 
the  chief  of  the  patrol  bounded  into  their  midst,  follow- 
ed by  several  of  his  companions,  all  in  total  darkness ! 

Yain  is  the  attempt  to  describe  the  tumultuous  scene 
which  followed.  Hand  to  hand  they  fought  and  strug- 
gled with  each  other,  amid  the  terrific  explosion  of  fire- 
arms,— oaths  and  curses,  mingled  with  the  prayers  of 


THE  FEARFUL  FIGHT.  37 

the  wounded,  and  the  groans  of  the  dying  I  Two  of 
the  patrol  were  killed  on  the  spot,  and  lay  drenched  in 
the  warm  blood  that  so  lately  flowed  through  their 
veins.  Another  with  his  arm  broken  and  otherwise 
wounded,  lay  groaning  and  helpless,  beside  the  fallen 
slaves,  who  had  sold  their  lives  so  dearly.  Another  of 
his  fellows  was  found  at  a  short  distance,  mortally 
wounded  and  about  to  bid  adieu  to  life.  In  the  yard 
lay  the  keeper  of  the  horses,  a  stiffened  corpse.  Six 
of  the  slaves  were  killed  and  two  wounded. 

It  would  be  impossible  to  convey  to  the  minds  of 
northern  people,  the  alarm  and  perfect  consternation 
that  the  above  circumstance  occasioned  in  that  commu- 
nity. The  knowledge  of  its  occurrence  was  carried 
from  one  plantation  to  another,  as  on  the  wings  of  the 
wind;  exaggerated  accounts  were  given,  and  pro- 
phecies of  the  probable  result  made,  until  the  excite- 
ment became  truly  fearful.  Every  cheek  was  blanch- 
ed and  every  frame  trembled  when  listening  to  the 
tale,  that  "insurrection  among  the  slaves  had  commenc- 
ed on  the  plantation  of  Col.  Alexander ;  that  three  or 
four  of  the  patrol  had  been  killed,  &c."  The  day  af- 
ter, people  flocked  from  every  quarter,  armed  to  the 
teeth,  swearing  vengeance  on  the  defenceless  slaves. 
Nothing  can  teach  plainer  than  this,  the  constant  and 
tormenting  fear  in  which  the  slaveholder  lives,  and 
yet  he  repents  not  of  his  deeds. 

The  kind  old  Colonel  was  placed  in  the  most  dim- 


38  AT  THE  GREAT  HOUSE. 

cult  and  unenviable  position.  His  warm  heart  was  fill- 
ed with,  sorrow  for  the  loss  of  his  slaves,  but  not  alone, 
as  is  generally  the  case  in  such  instances,  because  he 
had  lost  so  much  property.  He  truly  regretted  the 
death  of  his  faithful  servants,  and  boldly  rebuked  the 
occasion  of  their  sudden  decease.  When  beset  and 
harrassed  by  his  neighbors  to  give  up  his  slaves  to  be 
tried  for  insurrection  and  murder,  ■  he  boldly  resisted, 
contending  for  the  natural  right  of  the  slaves,  to  act  in 
their  own  defence,  and  especially  when  on  his  own 
plantation  and  in  their  own  quarters.  They  contend- 
ed, however,  that  as  his  slaves  had  got  up  a  dance,  and 
had  invited  those  of  the  adjoining  plantations,  the  pa- 
trol was  only  discharging  their  duty  in  looking  after 
them ;  but  the  gallant  old  Colonel  defended  his  slaves, 
and  told  them  plainly  that  he  should  continue  to  do  so 
to  the  extent  of  his  ability  and  means. 

The  poor  slaves  were  sad  enough,  on  the  morning 
after  their  merry  meeting,  and  they  might  be  seen 
standing  in  groups,  conversing  with  a  very  different 
air  from  the  one  they  had  worn  the  day  before. 

Their  business  was  now  to  prepare  the  bodies  of 
their  late  associates  for  the  grave.  Eobert,  the  brave 
African,  who  had  so  boldly  led  them  on  the  night  be- 
fore, and  who  had  so  judiciously  provided  for  their  es- 
cape, was  calmly  sleeping  in  death's  cold  embrace. 
He  left  a  wife  and  five  slave  children.  Two  of  the 
other  slaves  left  families,  whose  pitiful  cries  it  was 
painful  to  hear. 


FUNERAL  OF  THE  MURDERED  SLAVE.      39 

The  Colonel's  family,  deeply  afflicted  by  what  was 
passing  around  them,  attended  the  funeral.  One  of 
the  slaves,  who  sometimes  officiated  as  a  minister,  read 
a  portion  of  Scripture,  and  gave  out  two  hymns ; — one 
of  which  commences  with 

"  Hark  I  from  the  tomb  a  doleful  sound." 

Both  were  sung  with  great  solemnity  by  the  congre- 
gation, and  then  the  good  old  man  offered  a  prayer; 
after  which  he  addressed  the  slaves  on  the  shortness  of 
human  life  and  the  certainty  of  death,  and  more  than 
once  hinted  at  the  hardness  of  their  lot,  assuring,  how- 
ever, his  fellow-slaves,  that  if  they  were  good  and 
faithful,  all  would  be  right  hereafter.  His  master,  Col. 
Alexander,  was  deeply  affected  by  this  simple  faith 
and  sincere  regard  for  the  best  interests  of  all,  both 
master  and  slave. 

When  the  last  look  at  their  fellow-servants  had  been 
taken,  the  procession  was  formed  in  the  following 
manner :  First,  the  old  slave  minister,  then  the  remains 
of  the  dead,  followed  by  their  weeping  relatives ;  then 
came  the  master  and  his  family;  next  the  slaves 
belonging  to  the  plantation ;  and  last,  friends  and 
strangers,  black  and  white ;  all  moved  on  solemnly  to 
the  final  resting-place  of  those  brave  men,  whose 
descendants  may  yet  be  heard  from,  in  defence  of 
right  and  freedom. 


CHAPTER    III 


HOKSE-KACING  AND  ITS   CONSEQUENCES. 

CAPT.  Helm  had  a  race-course  on  his  plantation, 
on  which  he  trained  young  horses  for  the  fall 
races.  One  very  fine  horse  he  owned,  called  Mark 
Anthony,  which  he  trained  in  the  most  careful  manner 
for  several  months  previous  to  the  races.  He  would 
put  him  on  the  course  every  morning,  sometimes 
covering  him  with  a  blanket,  and  then  put  him  to  his 
utmost  speed,  which  he  called  "  sweating  him."  Mark 
Anthony  was  to  be  put  on  the  race-course  in  October 
following,  as  a  competitor  for  the  purse  of  ten  thou- 
sand dollars,  which  was  the  amount  to  be  lost  or  gain- 
ed on  the  first  day  of  the  fall  races.  Capt.  H.  had 
also  another  young  horse,  called  Buffer,  under  a  course 
of  training,  which  he  designed  to  enter  the  lists  for  the 
second  day.  His  course  of  training  had  been  about 
the  same  as  Mark  Anthony's,  but  being  a  yeai  or  two 
younger,  it  was  thought  that  he  had  not  sufficient 
"bottom"  to  risk  so  much  money  on,  as  was  at  stake 
on  the  first  day. 


"  Away  they  go,  sweeping  round  the  course  with  lightning  speed,  while  every 
spectator's  eye  is  strained,  and  every  countenance  flushed  with  intense  anxiety." 

page  41. 


THE   FIEST   HEAT.  41 

When  the  time  for  the  raees  to  commence  came,  all 
was  bustle  and  excitement  in  the  house  and  on  the 
plantation.  It  was  a  fine  October  morning,  and  the 
sun  shed  a  mellow  radiance  on  all  around,  when  people 
began  to  throng  the  race-course.  Some  came  with 
magnificent  equipages,  attended  by  their  numerous 
train  of  black  servants,  dressed  in  livery, — some  in 
less  splendid  array, — and  others  on  foot,  all  hurrying 
on  to  the  exciting  scene.  There  the  noblest  blood  of 
Old  Yirginia,  of  which  many  are  wont  to  boast,  was 
fully  represented,  as  was  also  the  wealth  and  fashion 
of  the  country  for  many  miles  around. 

All  were  in  high  spirits,  and  none  seemed  to  fear 
that  they  would  be  the  losers  in  the  amount  of  money 
about  to  change  hands.  And  for  what,  pray,  is  all 
this  grand  outlay — this  vast  expenditure  ?  Merely  the 
pleasure  and  gratification  of  witnessing  the  speed  of  a 
fine  horse,  and  the  vanity  of  prejudging  concerning  it. 

The  arrangements  were  at  length  completed, — the 
horses  regularly  entered,  Mark  Anthony  among  the 
rest, — and  then  the  word  "  go !"  was  given,  when  each 
horse  sprang  as  if  for  his  life,  each  striving  to  take  the 
lead.  Away  they  go,  sweeping  round  the  course  with 
lightning  speed,  while  every  spectator's  eye  is  strained, 
and  every  countenance  flushed  with  intense  anxiety. 

Some  of  the  noble  animals  were  distanced  the  first 
heat,  and  others  were  taken  away  by  their  owners. 

The  judges  allowed  twenty  minutes  to  prepare  the 


42        ,  AT  THE   GKEAT  HOUSE. 

horses  for  the  second  trial  of  their  speed — a  trial  which 
must  enrich  or  empoverish  many  of  the  thousands 
present.  Already  there  were  sad  countenances  to  be 
seen  in  the  crowd. 

The  horses  were  again  in  readiness,  and  the  word 
given, — away  they  flew  with  the  fleetness  of  the  wind, 
to  come  in  the  second  time. 

But  who  can  describe  the  anxiety  written  on  every 
face,  as  they  prepared  for  the  third  and  last  trial  ?  I 
cannot.  Many  had  already  lost  all  they  had  staked, 
and  others  who  had  bet  high  began  to  fear  for  the  re- 
sult. Soon,  however,  all  was  again  prepared  and  those 
foaming  steeds,  after  having  exerted  their  animal  power 
to  the  utmost,  have  accomplished  their  task  and  come 
in  for  the  last  time.  The  purse  was  won,  but 
not  by  Mark  Anthony.  Capt.  Helm  was  more  fortu- 
nate the  second  day.  Buffer  won  the  smaller  purse, 
but  the  Captain  came  from  the  races,  a  much  poorer 
man  than  when  they  commenced.  These  repeated 
failures  and  heavy  losses  had  the  effect  to  arouse  him 
to  a  sense  of  his  pecuniary  position,  and  he  soon  after 
began  to  think  and  talk  about  going  to  some  new 
country. 

He  resolved  at  last  to  visit  the  far-off  "Genesee 
Country,"  which  he  shortly  after  put  in  practice,  and 
after  an  absence  of  about  three  weeks  he  returned  in 
good  health,  and  delighted  with  the  country ;  the  more 
so,  doubtless,  because  he  said,  "  the  more  slaves  a  man 


CAPT.    HELM  SELLS  OUT  AT  AUCTION.  43 

possessed  in  that  country  the  more  he  would  be  re- 
spected, and  the  higher  would  be  his  position  in 
society." 

Capt.  Helm  finally  concluded  to  sell  his  plantation 
and  stock,  except  the  slaves,  and  remove  to  the  Gene- 
see Country,  where  he  designed  to  locate  his  future 
residence. 

The  plantation  and  stock  (retaining  the  slaves)  were 
advertised  for  sale,  and  on  a  certain  day  named,  all 
would  be  disposed  of  at  a  public  sale,  or  to  the  high- 
est bidder. 

When  the  day  of  sale  arrived,  there  flocked  from  all 
parts  of  the  surrounding  country  the  largest  assem- 
blage of  people  I  ever  saw  in  that  place.  A  large 
number  of  wealthy  and  respectable  planters  were 
present,  whose  gentlemanly  behavior  should  have  been 
an  example  to  others. 

The  majority  of  that  vast  crowd,  however,  were  a 
rough,  quarrelsome,  fighting  set,  just  such  as  might  be 
expected  from  slave-holding  districts.  There  were 
several  regularly  fought  battles  during  the  first  day  of 
the  sale. 

One  Thomas  Ford,  a  large,  muscular,  ferocious-look- 
ing fellow,  a  good  specimen  of  a  southern  bully  and 
woman- whipper,  had  been  victorious  through  the  day 
in  numerous  fights  and  brawls ;  but  he  had  to  pay  dear 
for  it  when  night  came.  Some  one  or  more  of 
the  vanquished  party,  took  advantage   of  the   dark 


44  AT  THE   GKEAT   HOUSE. 

night  to  stab  him  in  both  sides.  The  knife  of  the  as- 
sassin had  been  thrust  into  his  thigh,  tearing  the  flesh 
upward,  leaving  a  frightful  and  dangerous  wound; 
but  what  is  most  singular,  both  sides  were  wounded  in 
nearly  the  same  manner,  and  at  the  same  time,  for  so 
quickly  was  the  deed  committed  that  the  offenders 
made  their  escape,  before  an  alarm  could  be  raised  for 
their  detection ;  nor  have  I  ever  heard  of  any  one 
being  arrested  for  the  crime. 

Ford's  groans  and  cries  were  painful  to  hear,  but  his 
brother  acted  like  a  madman;  rushing  hither  and 
thither,  with  a  heavy  bludgeon  in  his  hand,  with 
which  he  indiscriminately  beat  the  fences  and  what- 
ever came  in  his  way,  crying  "  Oh  my  brother,  my 
poor  brother !    Who  has  murdered  my  poor  brother  ?" 

Physicians  came  to  the  aid  of  the  wounded  man  who 
at  first  thought  he  might  recover,  but  in  a  climate  like 
that  of  Virginia  it  was  impossible.  His  friends  did  all 
they  could  to  save  him,  but  the  poor  wretch  lingered 
a  few  days  and  died.  Thus  ended  the  life  of  a  bad 
man  and  a  hard  master. 

And  who  will  wonder,  if  his  slaves  rejoiced  to  hear 
of  his  death  ?  If  they  must  be  sold  to  pay  his  debts, 
they  could  not  fall  into  the  hands  of  a  more  heart- 
less tyrant.  Who  then  can  blame  those  feeble  women 
and  helpless  children,  long  held  as  chattels  in  his  iron 
grasp,  if  they  are  grateful  that  the  man-steeler  is  no 
more  ? 


DRUNKENNESS  AND   MURDER  AT  THE   SALE.       45 

This  Ford  was  a  fair  specimen  of  that  class,  known 
in  more  modern  parlance  as  a  "  Border  Kufhan."  Such 
as  are  at  this  time  endeavoring,  by  their  swaggering 
and  bullying,  to  cast  on  the  fair  fields  of  Kansas  the 
deep  curse  of  Slavery — a  curse  which,  like  the  poison 
of  the  deadly  Upas,  blights  all  within  its  influence : 
the  colored  and  the  white  man,  the  slave  and  the 
master.  We  were  thankful,  however,  that  no  more 
lives  were  lost  during  the  vendue,  which  was  com- 
menced with  the  stock ;  this  occupied  two  days. 

The  reader  will  see  that  we  had  cause  to  be  grateful, 
when  he  takes  into  consideration  that  drinking  and 
fighting  was  the  order  of  the  day,  and  drunkenness 
and  carousing  the  order  of  the  night. 

Then  too,  the  practice  of  dueling  was  carried  on  in 
all  its  hideous  barbarity.  If  a  gentleman  thought  him- 
self insulted,  he  would  immediately  challenge  the 
offender  to  mortal  combat,  and  if  he  refused  to  do  so, 
then  the  insulted  gentleman  felt  bound  by  that  bar- 
barous code  of  honor,  to  take  his  life,  whenever  or 
wherever  he  might  meet  him,  though  it  might  be 
in  a  crowded  assembly,  where  the  lives  of  innocent 
persons  were  endangered. 

A  case  of  this  kind  happened  in  Kentucky,  where 
the  belligerent  parties  met  in  a  large  concourse  of 
people,  the  majority  of  them  women  and  children; 
but  the  combat  ensued,  regardless  of  consequences. 
One   woman   was  shot   through  the   face,   but  that 


46  AT  THE   GREAT   HOUSE. 

was  not  worthy  of  notice,  for  she  was  only  a  colored 
woman;  and  in  that,  as  in  other  slave  States,  the 
laws  give  to  the  white  population  the  liberty  to  trample 
under  foot  the  claims  of  all  such  persons  to  justice. 
Justly  indignant  ladies  present  remonstrated,  but  all  to 
no  purpose.  The  Governor  of  the  State  was  there 
and  was  in  danger  of  being  wounded  by  their  flying 
bullets,  and  it  is  possible  that  if  he  had  been  in  the 
place  of  the  poor  African,  some  action  would  have 
been  taken,  and  laws  made  to  protect  the  people 
against  such  inhuman  practices.  But  I  must  return  to 
Capt.  Helm  and  the  vendue. 

The  sale  continued  for  several  days,  during  which 
there  was  no  such  thing  as  rest  or  sleep  or  one  quiet 
moment  on  the  premises.  As  was  customary  in  that 
State,  Capt.  Helm  provided  the  food  and  drink  for  all 
who  came,  and  of  course  a  great  many  came  to  drink 
and  revel  and  not  to  buy;  and  that  class  generally 
took  the  night  time  for  their  hideous  outbreaks,  when 
the  more  respectable  class  had  retired  to  their  beds  or 
to  their  homes.  And  many  foul  deeds  and  cruel  out- 
rages were  committed;  nor  could  the  perpetrators  be 
detected  or  brought  to  justice.  Nothing  could  be  done 
but  to  submit  quietly  to  their  depredations. 

One  peaceable  old  slave  was  killed  by  having  his 
head  split  open  with  an  ax.  He  was  found  in  the 
morning  lying  in  the  yard,  with  the  bloody  instrument 
of  death  by  his  side.     This  occaisoned   some  excite- 


THE   SLAVES   DREAD   A   REMOVAL.  47 

ment  among  the  slaves,  but  as  the  white  people  paid 
but  little  attention  to  it,  it  soon  passed  off,  and  the  sor- 
rowful slaves  put  the  old  man's  remains  in  a  rough 
box,  and  conveyed  them  to  their  last  resting-place. 

After  the  sale  was  over,  the  slaves  were  allowed  a 
holiday,  with  permission  to  go  and  visit  their  friends 
and  relatives  previous  to  their  departure  for  their  new 
home  in  a  strange  land. 

The  slaves  generally  on  Capt.  Helm's  plantation 
looked  upon  this  removal  as  the  greatest  hardship  they 
had  ever  met;  the  severest  trial  they  had  ever  en- 
dured; and  the  separation  from  our  old  home  and  fel- 
low-slaves, from  our  relatives  and  the  old  State  of  Vir- 
ginia, was  to  us  a  contemplation  of  sorrowful  interest. 
Those  who  remained,  thought  us  the  most  unfortunate 
of  human  beings  to  be  taken  away  off  into  the  State 
of  New  York,  and,  as  they  believed,  beyond  the 
bounds  of  civilization,  where  we  should  in  all  proba- 
bility be  destroyed  by  wild  beasts,  devoured  by  canni- 
bals, or  scalped  by  the  Indians.  We  never  expected 
to  meet  again  in  this  life,  hence  our  parting  interviews 
were  as  solemn  as  though  we  were  committing  our 
friends  to  the  grave.  But  He  whose  tender  mercies 
are  over  all  his  creatures,  knew  best  what  was  for  our 
good. 

Little  did  Capt.  Helm  think  when  bringing  his  slaves 
to  New  York  that  in  a  few  short  years,  they  would  be 
singing  the  song  of  deliverance  from  Slavery's  thrall- 


48  HORSE-RACING  AND   ITS   CONSEQUENCES. 

dom ;  and  as  little  thought  he  of  the  great  and  painful 
change,  to  be  brought  about  in  his  own  circumstances. 
Could  any  one  have  looked  into  futurity  and  traced  the 
difficult  path,  my  master  was  to  tread, — could  any  one 
have  foreseen  the  end  to  which  he  must  soon  come, 
and  related  it  to  him  in  the  days  of  his  greatness  and 
prosperity,  he  would,  I  am  certain,  have  turned  from 
such  a  narrator  of  misfortune  in  a  greater  rage  than 
did  Namaan  when  the  man  of  Grod  told  him  "to  go 
and  dip  seven  times  in  the  Jordan." 

He  could  not  have  believed,  nor  could  I,  that  in  a 
few  years  the  powerful,  wealthy  slaveholder,  living  in 
luxury  and  extravagance,  would  be  so  reduced  that 
the  necessaries  of  life  even,  were  beyond  his  means,  and 
that  he  must  be  supported  by  the  town ! 

But  I  anticipate.  Let  us  return  to  the  old  planta- 
tion which  seems  dearer  than  ever,  now  that  we  are 
about  to  leave  it  forever. 

We  thought  Capt.  Helm's  prospects  pretty  fair,  and 
yet  we  shuddered  when  we  realized  our  condition  as 
slaves.  This  change  in  our  circumstances  was  calcu- 
lated to  awaken  all  oui  fears  that  had  been  slumber- 
ing, and  bring  all  the  perilous  changes  to  which  we 
might  be  subjected  most  vividly  to  mind. 

We  were  about  to  leave  the  land  of  our  birth,  the 
home  of  our  childhood,  and  we  felt  that  untried  scenes 
were  before  us.  We  were  slaves,  it  is  true,  but  we 
had  heart-felt  emotions  to  suppress,  when  we  thought 


MELANCHOLY   REFLECTIONS.  49 

of  leaving  all  that  was  so  familar  to  us,  and  chose 
rather  to  "  bear  the  ilia  we  had,  than  to  fly  to  those 
we  knew  not  of."  And  oh,  the  terrible  uncertainty  of 
the  future,  that  ever  rests  on  the  slave,  even  the  most 
favored,  was  now  felt  with  a  crushing  weight.  To-day, 
they  are  in  the  old  familiar  cabin  surrounded  by  their 
family,  relatives  and  friends ;  to-morrow,  they  may  be 
scattered,  parted  forever.  The  master's  circumstances, 
not  their  own,  may  have  assigned  one  to  the  dreadful 
slave-pen,  and  another  to  the  distant  rice-swamp ;  and 
it  is  this  continual  dread  of  some  perilous  future  that 
holds  in  check  every  joyous  emotion,  every  lofty  aspi- 
ration, of  the  most  favored  slave  at  the  South.  They 
know  that  their  owners  indulge  in  high  living,  and 
they  are  well  aware  also  that  their  continual  indul- 
gences engender  disease,  which  make  them  very  liable 
to  sudden  death ;  or  their  master  may  be  killed  in  a 
duel,  or  at  a  horse-race,  or  in  a  drunken  brawl ;  then 
his  creditors  are  active  in  looking  after  the  estate ;  and 
next,  the  blow  of  the  auctioneer's  hammer  separates 
them  perhaps  for  life. 

Now,  after  the  lapse  of  so  many  years,  when  my 
thoughts  wander  back,  as  they  often  do,  to  my  native 
State,  I  confess  that  painful  recollections  drive  from 
my  mind  those  joyful  emotions  that  should  ever  arise 
in  the  heart  of  man,  when  contemplating  the  familiar 
scenes  of  his  youth,  and  especially  when  recurring  to 
the  venerable  shades  and  the  sheltering  roof  under 
C 


50  HORSE-RACING  AND  ITS  CONSEQUENCES. 

which  he  was  born.  True,  around  the  well-remem- 
bered spot  where  our  childhood's  years  were  spent, 
recollection  still  loves  to  linger;  yet  memory,  ever 
ready  with  its  garnered  store,  paints  in  glowing  colors, 
Virginia's  crouching  slaves  in  the  foreground.  Her 
loathsome  slave-pens  and  slave  markets  —  chains, 
whips  and  instruments  of  torture ;  and  back  of  all 
this  is  as  truthfully  recorded  the  certain  doom,  the  re- 
tributive justice,  that  will  sooner  or  later  overtake  her; 
and  with  a  despairing  sigh  I  turn  away  from  the  im- 
aginary view  of  my  native  State. 

What  though  she  may  have  been  justly  styled, 
"  The  Mother  of  Presidents  ?"  What  avails  the  honor 
of  being  the  birth-place  of  the  brave  and  excellent 
Washington,  while  the  prayers  and  groans  of  the 
down-trodden  African  daily  ascend  to  heaven  for  re- 
dress? What  though  her  soil  be  fertile,  yielding  a 
yearly  product  of  wealth  to  its  possessors?  And 
what  matter  is  it,  that  their  lordly  mansions  are  em- 
bowered in  the  shade  of  trees  of  a  century's  growth, 
if,  through  their  lofty  and  tangled  branches,  we  espy 
the  rough  cabin  of  the  mangled  bondman,  and  know 
that  the  soil  on  which  he  labors  has  drunk  his  heart's 
blood? 

Ah !  to  me,  life's  sweetest  memories  are  all  embit- 
tered. Slavery  had  cast  its  dark  and  fearful  shadow 
over  my  childhood,  youth,  and  early  manhood,  and  I 
went  out  from  the  land  of  my  birth,  a  fettered  slave. 


EXTRAVAGANCE  OF  CAPT.  HELM.        51 

A  land  which  I  can  regard  only  as  "the  honse  of 
bondage  and  the  grave  of  freedom."  But  God  forgive 
me  for  having  envied  my  master  his  fair  prospects  at 
this  time. 

After  the  sale  of  the  plantation,  Capt.  Helm  was  in 
possession  of  quite  a  large  sum  of  money,  and  having 
never  paid  much  attention  to  his  pecuniary  interests, 
he  acted  as  if  there  could  be  no  end  of  it.  He  realized 
about  forty  thousand  dollars  from  the  sale  of  his  estate 
in  Virginia,  which  would  have  been  a  pretty  sum  in 
the  hands  of  a  man  who  had  been  accustomed  to  look 
after  his  own  interests ;  but  under  the  management  of 
one  who  had  all  his  life  lived  and  prospered  on  the 
unrequited  toil  of  slaves,  it  was  of  little  account.  He 
bought  largely  of  every  thing  he  thought  necessary 
for  himself  or  the  comfort  of  his  family,  for  which  he 
always  paid  the  most  extravagant  prices.  The  Captain 
was  not  as  well  qualified  to  take  care  of  himself  and 
family  as  some  of  his  slaves  were ;  but  he  thought 
differently,  and  so  the  preparations  for  leaving  the  old 
plantation  for  a  home  in  the  wilds  of  New  York, 
went  on  under  his  direction,  and  at  last  we  bade  a 
final  adieu  to  our  friends  and  all  we  held  dear  in  the 
State  of  Virginia. 


CHAPTEE  IV. 


JOUENEY  TO  OUE  NEW  HOME  IN  NEW  YOEK. 

ALL  things  having  been  prepared  for  our  depart- 
ure, our  last  "  Good-bye"  spoken,  and  our  last 
look  taken  of  the  old  plantation,  we  started,  amid  the 
sobs  and  prolonged  cries  of  separating  families,  in 
company  with  our  master,  the  overseer  and  another 
white  man  named  Davis,  who  went  with  us  to  take 
back  the  five-horse  "Pennsylvania  team,"  which  was 
provided  for  the  conveyance  of  the  food  for  the  slaves, 
and  what  little  baggage  they  might  have,  and  also 
that  of  the  overseer. 

Capt.  Helm  had  determined  to  leave  his  family  until 
he  could  get  his  slaves  settled  in  their  future  quarters, 
and  a  home  provided  for  himself,  when  they  were 
expected  to  join  him. 

We  traveled  northward,  through  Maryland,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  a  portion  of  New  York,  to  Sodus  Bay, 
where  we  halted  for  some  time.     We  made  about 


FAREWELL  TO  OLD  VIRGINIA.  53 

twenty  miles  per  day,  camping  out  every  night,  and 
reached  that  place  after  a  march  of  twenty  days. 
Every  morning  the  overseer  called  the  roll,  when 
every  slave  must  answer  to  his  or  her  name,  felling  to 
the  ground  with  his  cowhide,  any  delinquent  who 
failed  to  speak  out  in  quick  time.  After  the  roll  had 
been  called,  and  our  scanty  breakfast  eaten,  we 
marched  on  again,  our  company  presenting  the  ap- 
pearance of  some  numerous  caravan  crossing  the  desert 
of  Sahara.  When  we  pitched  our  tents  for  the  night, 
the  slaves  must  immediately  set  about  cooking  not 
their  supper  only,  but  their  breakfast,  so  as  to  be 
ready  to  start  early  the  next  morning,  when  the  tents 
were  struck;  and  we  proceeded  on  our  journey  in  this 
way  to*  the  end. 

At  Sodus  Bay  there  was  then  one  small  tavern, 
kept  by  a  man  named  Sill. 

The  bay  is  ten  miles  in  length  and  from  a  half  to 
two  miles  in  breadth,  and  makes  an  excellent  harbor. 
The  surrounding  country  then  was  almost  an  unbroken 
wilderness. 

After  Capt.  Helm  had  rested  a  few  days  at  Sodus, 
he  went  six  miles  up  the  bay  and  purchased  a  large 
tract  of  land  lying  on  both  sides  of  that  beautiful 
sheet  of  water,  and  put  his  slaves  on  to  clear  and  cul- 
tivate it.  Then  came  the  "tug  of  war."  Neither  the 
overseer  nor  the  slaves  had  the  least  knowledge  of 
charing  land,  and  that  was  the  first  thing  to  be  done. 


54  JOUEXEY  TO  OUR  NEW  HOME. 

It  was  useless  to  consult  the  Captain,  for  lie  knew  still 
less  about  matters  of  that  kind.  To  obviate  this 
difficulty,  our  master  bought  out  a  Mr.  Cummings, 
who  had  some  cleared  land  on  the  west  side  of  the 
bay.  On  this  he  put  the  overseer  and  a  part  of  the 
slaves,  and  then  hired  a  Mr.  Herrington  to  take  charge 
of  the  remainder.  Herrington  and  his  gang  of  slaves 
was  sent  to  the  east  side  to  chop  down  the  heavy 
timber  and  clear  the  land  for  cultivation,  all  of  which 
had  first  to  be  learned,  for  we  knew  nothing  of  felling 
trees,  and  the  poor  slaves  had  rather  a  hard  time  of  it. 

Provisions  were  scarce  and  could  not  be  procured 
for  cash  in  that  section.  There  was  no  corn  to  be  had, 
and  we  had  but  little  left.  "We  had  no  neighbors  to 
assist  us  in  this  trying  time,  and  we  came  near  starva- 
tion. True,  the  wild,  romantic  region  in  which  we 
were  located  abounded  in  game, —  elk,  deer,  bear, 
panther,  and  wolves,  roamed  abroad  through  the  dense 
forest,  in  great  abundance,  but  the  business  of  the 
slaves  was  not  hunting  or  fishing,  but  clearing  the 
land,  preparatory  to  raising  crops  of  grain  the  coming 
season. 

At  last  Capt.  Helm  chartered  a  boat,  and  manned 
it  to  go  to  the  mouth  of  the  Genesee  Eiver  to  buy 
corn.  They  embarked  under  favorable  auspices,  but 
soon  there  came  on  such  a  tremendous  storm,  that 
the  boat  could  no  longer  be  managed,  and  the  crew  in 
despair  threw  themselves  on  the  bottom  of  the  boat  to 


STARVATION  THREATENED.  55 

await  their  inevitable  destruction,  when  one  of  their 
number,  a  colored  man  named  Dunbar,  sprang  to  the 
helm,  and  with  great  difficulty  succeeded  in  running  her 
safely  into  a  Canadian  port,  where  they  were  obliged  to 
part  with  every  thing  in  their  possession  to  obtain  the 
means  to  return  to  their  families  in  Sodus,  who  had 
given  them  up  as  lost.  But,  to  the  great  joy  of  all, 
they  came  back  at  last  with  their  lives,  but  with 
nothing  for  the  famishing  slaves.  Before  another 
boat  could  be  sent  for  our  relief,  we  were  reduced  to 
the  last  extremity.  We  became  so  weak  we  could  not 
work,  and  it  was  difficult  to  drag  ourselves  about,  as  we 
were  now  obliged  to  do,  to  gather  up  all  the  old  bones 
we  could  find,  break  them  up  fine  and  then  boil  them; 
which  made  a  sort  of  broth  sufficient  barely  to  sustain 
life.  This  we  drank,  and  merely  existed,  until  at  last, 
the  long  looked  for  boat  returned,  loaded  with  por- 
vision,  which  saved  us  from  starvation  and  gave  us 
strength  to  pursue  our  labor. 


CHAPTEE    V 


INCIDENTS  AT  SODUS  BAY. 

ABOUT  this  time  two  slaves  who  were  laboring 
in  the  forest,  instead  of  returning  to  theii 
cabin  as  was  expected,  got  lost,  and  wandered  eight 
days  in  the  dense  forest  without  provision,  except 
what  they  could  procure  from  roots  and  the  bark  of 
trees.  Great  exertion  was  made  to  rind  them;  guns 
were  tired,  horns  blown,  and  shouts  raised,  but  all  to 
no  purpose.  Finally,  we  gave  them  up,  supposing 
they  had  starved  to  death  or  had  been  killed  by  wild 
beasts.  One  of  them  was  an  elderly  man,  named 
Benjamin  Bristol,  and  the  other,  Edmund  Watkins,  a 
lad  of  about  eighteen  years  of  age.  They  wandered 
in  an  easterly  direction,  a  distance  of  some  sixty  or 
seventy  miles,  through  an  unbroken  wilderness,  vainly 
trying  to  rind  their  way  home.  On  the  eighth  day,  to 
their  inexpressible  joy,  they  came  out  on  the  shore  of 
Lake  Ontario,  near  Oswego ;  but  young  Watkins  was 


TWO  MEN  LOST — BEAR  KILLED.  57 

so  completely  exhausted  that  he  declared  himself 
incapable  of  further  exertion,  and  begged  to  be  left  to 
his  fate.  Bristol,  however,  who  chewed  tobacco, 
which  it  was  supposed  kept  him  from  sinking  so  low 
as  his  companion,  took  him  on  his  back,  and  carried 
him  home,  which  they  reached  in  a  famished  state  and 
reduced  to  skeletons.  All  were  thankful  for  the  pre- 
servation of  their  lives,  and,  with  the  best  we  could 
do  for  them,  they  soon  recruited  and  became  strong 
as  ever. 

One  day,  two  others  and  myself  thought  we  saw 
some  animal  swimming  across  the  bay.  We  got  a 
boat  and  went  out  to  see  what  it  was.  After  rowing 
for  some  time  we  came  near  enough  to  perceive  it  was 
a  large  bear.  Those  who  watched  us  from  the  shore 
expected  to  see  our  boat  upset,  and  all  on  board 
drowned,  but  it  was  not  so  to  be ;  the  bear  was  struck 
on  the  nose  with  a  blow  that  killed  him  instantly,  and 
he  was  hauled  ashore  in  great  triumph. 

While  these  things  were  transpiring  on  the  east  side 
of  the  bay,  the  overseer  on  the  west  side  determined 
to  punish  one  of  the  slaves  who  worked  on  the  east 
side.  The  name  of  the  slave  was  Williams ;  a  strong, 
athletic  man,  and  generally  a  good  workman,  but  he 
had  unfortunately  offended  the  overseer,  for  which 
nothing  could  appease  his  wrath  but  the  privilege  of 
flogging  him.  The  slave,  however,  thought  as  he  was 
no  longer  in  Virginia,  he  would  not  submit  to  such 


58  INCIDENTS  AT  SOD  US. 

chastisement,  and  the  overseer  was  obliged  to  content 
himself  with  threatening  what  he  would  do  if  he 
caught  him  on  the  west  side  of  the  bay. 

A  short  time  after,  the  overseer  called  at  the  cabin 
of  one  of  the  slaves,  and  was  not  a  little  surprised  to 
find  there  the  refractory  slave,  Williams,  in  company 
with  three  other  men.  He  immediately  walked  up  to 
him  and  asked  him  some  question,  to  which  Williams 
made  no  reply.  Attended,  as  he  always  was,  by  his 
ferocious  bull-dog,  he  flourished  his  cowhide  in  great 
wrath  and  demanded  an  instant  reply,  but  he  receiv- 
ed none,  whereupon  he  struck  the  slave  a  blow  with 
the  cowhide.  Instantly  Williams  sprang  and  caught 
him  by  the  throat  and  held  him  writhing  in  his  vise- 
like grasp,  until  he  succeeded  in  getting  possession  of 
the  cowhide,  with  which  he  gave  the  overseer  such  a 
flogging  as  slaves  seldom  get.  Williams  was  seized  at 
once  by  the  dog  who  endeavored  to  defend  his  brutal 
master,  but  the  other  slaves  came  to  the  rescue,  and 
threw  the  dog  into  a  huge  fire  which  was  near  by, 
from  which,  after  a  singeing,  he  ran  off,  howling  worse 
than  his  master  when  in  the  hands  of  Williams.  He 
foamed  and  swore  and  still  the  blows  descended;  then 
he  commanded  the  slaves  to  assist  him,  but  as  none 
obeyed,  he  commenced  begging  in  the  most  humble 
manner,  and  at  last  entreated  them  as  "  gentlemen"  to 
spare  him;  but  all  to  no  purpose.  When  Williams 
thought  he  had  thrashed  him  sufficiently,  he  let  him 


"Instantly  Williams  sprang  and  caught  him  by  the  throat  and  Urtd  him  writh- 
ing in  his  vise-like  grasp,  until  he  succeeded  in  getting  possession  of  the  cow-hide, 
with  which  he  gave  the  overseer  such  a  flogging  as  slaves  seldom  get."       page  68. 


THE  OVERSEER  RETURNS  TO  VIRGINIA.  59 

go  and  hurried  to  his  boat  and  rowed  down  the  bay, 
instead  of  crossing  it.  The  overseer  no  sooner  found 
himself  at  liberty  than  he  ran  out,  calling  to  a  servant 
girl  to  bring  his  rifle,  which  was  loaded.  The  rifle 
was  brought,  but  before  he  could  get  to  the  bay, 
Williams  had  gone  beyond  his  reach;  but  unfortu- 
nately another  boat  was  at  this  moment  crossing  the 
bay,  which  he,  mad  with  rage,  fired  into.  The  men  in 
the  boat  immediately  cried  out  to  him  not  to  repeat 
the  shot,  but  he  was.  so  angry  that  he  swore  he  would 
shoot  somebody,  and  sent  another  bullet  after  them. 
No  one  was  hurt,  however,  but  the  brave  overseer 
was  vanquished.  Crest-fallen  and  unrevenged,  he 
shortly  after  called  on  Capt.  Helm  for  a  settlement, 
which  was  granted,  and  bidding  a  final  adieu  to  the 
"Grenesee  Country,"  he  departed  for  Virginia,  where 
he  could  beat  slaves  without  himself  receiving  a  cow- 
hiding.  No  one  regretted  his  absence,  nor  do  I  think 
any  but  the  most  heartless  would  cordially  welcome 
his  return  to  the  land  of  Slavery. 


CHAPTEE    YI 


EEMOVAL  FROM  SODUS  -TO  BATH. 

CAPT.  Helm  went  to  Virginia  for  his  family,  and 
returning  with  them,  concluded  to  locate  his 
future  residence  in  the  village  of  Bath,  Steuben 
County.  He  purchased  a  large  tract  of  land  near  the 
village,  a  large  grist  mill,  and  two  saw  mills;  also, 
two  farms;  one  called  the  "Maringo,"  east  of  the 
village;  and  the  other,  called  "Epsam,"  north  of  it; 
and  a  fine  house  and  lot  in  the  village.  He  also  kept 
a  distillery,  which  in  those  days  was  well  patronized, 
for  nearly  every  body  drank  whisky ;  and  with  Capt. 
Helm  it  was  a  favorite  beverage. 

The  slaves  were  removed  to  Bath,  where  our  master 
was  well  suited,  and  was  everywhere  noted  for  his 
hospitality.  He  had  a  great  deal  of  land  to  cultivate, 
and  carried  on  a  multiplicity  of  business. 

Soon  after  we  were  settled  at  Bath,  Capt.  Helm's 
eldest  daughter,  Jenny,  was  married  to  Mr.  John 


WEDDING  OF  MISS  JENNY  HELM.  -    61 

Fitzhugh,  her  cousin,  who  had  come  from  Virginia  to 
claim  his  bride. 

The  wedding  was  a  splendid  affair.     No  pains  were 
spared  to  make  it  more  imposing  than  any  thing  that 
had  ever  happened  in  that  country.   Never  before  had 
the  quiet  village  of  Bath  seen  such  splendor.     All 
that  wealth,  power  and  ambition  could  do,  was  done 
to  make  the  event  one  of  great  brilliancy.     Europe 
contributed  her  full  proportion;  Turkey,  the  Indias, 
East  and  West,  were  heavily  taxed  to  produce  their 
finest  fabrics  to  adorn  the  bride  and  bridal  guests ;  and 
contribute  delicacies  to  add  elegance  to  the  festal  scene. 
Two  days  previous  to  the  wedding,  the  invited  guests 
began  to  arrive  with  their  retinue  of  servants,  and  on 
the  evening  of  the  marriage  the  large  mansion  was 
thrown  open,  and  there  was  the  most  magnificent 
assemblage  I  ever  beheld.      In  the   drawing-room, 
where  the  ceremony  took  place,    every  thing  was 
surpassingly  elegant.     Costly  chandeliers  shed  their 
light  on  the  rich  tapestry,  and  beautiful  dresses  glitter- 
ing with  diamonds,  and  the  large  mirrors  everywhere 
reflecting  the  gay  concourse.      While  the  servants 
were  preparing  supper  it  was  announced  that  the  hour 
had  arrived  for  the  ceremony  to  commence.     The 
bridal  pair  took  their  place  in  the  center  of  the  apart- 
ment.    Pearls,  diamonds,  and  jewelry  glittered  on  the 
bride  with  such  luster,  that  it  was  almost  painful  to 
the  eye  to  look  upon  her. 


62  EEMOVAL  FKOM  SODUS  TO  BATH.  ' 

The  minister,  after  asking  Grod  to  bless  the  assembled 
gnests,  and  those  he  was  abont  to  unite  in  the  holy 
bonds  of  wedlock,  proceeded  in  a  very  solemn  and 
impressive  manner  with  the  marriage  service.  The 
ceremony  concluded,  and  good  wishes  having  been 
expressed  over  the  sparkling  wine,  the  man  of 
God  took  his  leave,  two  hundred  dollars  richer  than 
when  he  came.  The  company  were  all  very  happy, 
or  appeared  so;  mirth  reigned  supreme,  and  every 
countenance  wore  a  smile.  They  were  seated  at  tables 
loaded  with  luxuries  of  every  description,  and  while 
partaking,  a  band  of  music  enlivened  the  scene. 

All  business  was  suspended  for  several  days,  the 
wedding  party  making  a  tour  of  ten  days  to  Niagara 
Falls.  After  a  while,  however,  affairs  assumed  their 
usual  aspect,  and  business  took  its  regular  routine. 

The  grist  mill  belonging  to  the  Captain  was  the 
only  one  for  many  miles  around,  and  was  a  source  of 
great  profit  to  him;  the  saw  mills  also,  were  turning 
out  a  large  quantity  of  lumber,  which  was  in  good 
demand ;  and  the  distillery  kept  up  a  steaming  busi- 
ness. It  yielded,  however,  a  handsome  income  to 
Capt.  Helm,  who  was  now,  for  the  first  time  since  I 
knew  him,  overseeing  his  affairs  himself,  dispensing 
altogether  with  the  service  of  a  regularly  installed 
overseer. 

The  oldest  son  of  our  master  had  been  absent  from 
home  for  sometime,  nor  did  he  return  to  attend  his 


FKANK  HELM  OBTAINS  A  COMMISSION.  63 

sister's  grand  wedding.  He  had  sought  and  obtained 
a  commission  in  the  United  States  service  as  a  Lien- 
tenant.  This  had  been  his  own  choice;  he  had 
preferred  the  service  and  hardships  of  a  soldier,  to  a 
plantation  well  stocked  with  slaves,  and  the  quietude 
of  domestic  life.  He  had  cheerfully  given  up  his 
friends  and  prospects  as  a  planter,  and  entered  the 
service  of  his  country.  Frank  Helm,  the  second  son, 
soon  followed  the  example  of  his  older  brother,  Lina. 
He  obtained  a  like  commission,  but  he  did  not,  like 
his  brother,,  get  along  quietly.  His  prospects  as  an 
officer  were  soon  blighted,  and  all  hope  of  being 
serviceable  to  his  country  vanished  forever. 


CHAPTER    YII 


DUELING. 


LIJSTA  Helm  was  an  easy,  good-natured,  clever  fel- 
low ;  but  his  brother  Frank  was  his  opposite  in 
nearly  every  thing ;  prond,  fractious  and  unyielding. 
As  might  be  expected,  Frank,  soon  after  entering  the 
army,  got  into  an  "  affair  of  honor,"  according  to  the 
duelist's  code  of  laws.  He  was  not,  however,  the 
principal  in  the  difficulty.  One  of  his  friends  and  a 
brother  officer,  had  a  quarrel  with  a  gentleman  whom 
he  challenged  to  mortal  combat.  Frank  was  the 
bearer  of  his  friend's  challenge,  and  on  presenting  it, 
the  gentleman  refused  to  accept  it,  saying  that  the 
challenger  "  was  no  gentleman."  Then,  according  to 
the  rules  of  dueling,  no  alternative  was  left  for  Frank, 
but  to  take  his  brother  officer's  place,  and  fight.  This 
he  did  and  came  from  the  bloody  field  disabled  for  life. 
In  consequence  of  his  lameness,  he  was  under  the  ne- 
cessity of  resigning  his  commission  in  the  army,  which 


65 


he  did,  and  came  home  a  cripple,  and  nearly  unfitted 
for  any  kind  of  business  whatever 

While  on  the  subject  of  dueling,  permit  me  to 
record  some  of  the  incidents  of  another  "  affair  of 
honor,"  which  occurred  in  the  District  of  Columbia, 
between  Gen.  Mason  and  Mr.  M' Carter,  two  antago- 
nistic politicians. 

M'Carter  offered  his  vote  to  the  inspectors,  and  Ma- 
son challenged  it.  M'Carter  offered  to  swear  it  in, 
when  Mason  said  if  he  did  so  he  would  perjure  him- 
self. This  blew  what  appeared  to  be  but  a  spark  into 
an  angry  blaze,  and  a  duel  was  momentarily  expected; 
but  their  warlike  propensities  subsided  into  a  news- 
paper combat,  which  was  kept  up  for  several  weeks, 
each  party  supposing  they  had  the  advantage  of  their 
adversary.  In  this  stage  of  the  quarrel,  Gen.  Jackson, 
with  one  of  his  aid-de-camps,  Dr.  Bruno,  visited  Wash- 
ington. Dr.  Bruno  was  a  friend  of  Gren.  Mason's,  and 
to  him  the  General  submitted  the  correspondence, 
desiring  his  opinion  relative  to  the  advantage  one  had 
obtained  over  the  other.  Dr.  Bruno  decided  against 
his  friend,  which  probably  exasperated  him  still  more, 
and  the  General  expressed  his  determination  to  fight 
his  antagonist.  Dr.  Bruno  wrote  to  M'Carter  to  come 
to  Washington,  and  he  came  immediately,  and  was  as 
readily  waited  upon  by  the  Doctor,  who  inquired  if  he 
would  receive  a  communication  from  his  friend,  Gen. 
Mason.     M'Carter  replied,  that  he  "  would  receive  no 


66  DUELING. 

communication  from  Gen.  Mason,  except  a  challenge 
to  fight."  The  challenge  was  therefore  sent,  and 
accepted,  and  the  Doctor  appointed  to  make  the  neces- 
sary arrangements  for  the  duel.  He  proposed  the 
weapons  to  be  pistols,  and  the  distance,  ten  paces;  to 
which  M' Carter  objected,  because  he  said,  "  the  Gene- 
ral was  a  dead  shot  with  the  pistol,  while  he  hardly 
knew  how  to  use  one."  Then  it  was  left  to  M' Carter 
to  choose  the  mode  of  warfare.  He  proposed  muskets 
and  ten  paces  distance.  This  was  agreed  upon,  and 
finally  the  morning  arrived  for  the  conflict,  and  people 
began  to  assemble  in  great  numbers  to  witness  this 
murderous  scene. 

The  belligerent  parties  unflinchingly  took  their 
place,  each  with  his  loaded  musket  at  his  shoulder, 
and  gazing  in  each  other's  face,  with  feelings  of  the 
most  bitter  hatred,  while  their  eyes  flashed  vengeance. 

Oh!  what  a  state  of  mind  was  this  in  which  to 
meet  inevitable  death?  How  could  intelligent  men, 
or  gentlemen,  if  you  please  so  to  term  them,  look 
placidly  on  such  a  horrid  scene  ?  Was  there  no  heart 
of  humanity  to  interfere  and  arrest  the  murderous 
designs  of  these  madmen?  Alas,  no!  The  slave- 
holder's "code  of  honor"  must  be  acknowledged, 
though  it  outrage  the  laws  of  God  and  his  country. 

Dr.  Bruno  asks,  "  Gentlemen,  are  you  ready  ?"  and 
the  duelists  take  their  deadly  aim  at  each  other.  The 
signal  to  fire  is  given,  and  both  weapons  are  discharged, 


GENERAL  MASON  KILLED.  67 

and  when  the  smoke  had  cleared  away,  what  a  spec- 
tacle was  there  presented  to  the  duellist  and  spectator?. 
Gen.  Mason,  a  husband,  a  father,  a  statesman,  and  a 
kind  friend,  lies  bleeding,  and  gasping  for  breath. 
He  is  no  more!  Who  will  bear  to  his  loving  and 
unsuspecting  wife,  the  sad  intelligence  of  her  sudden 
bereavement  ?  Who  will  convey  his  lifeless  body  to 
his  late  residence,  and  throw  grief  and  consternation 
into  the  bosom  of  his  family,  and  drape  in  sadness  his 
whole  household  ?  And  yet  this  painful  task  must  be 
performed.  The  family  of  General  Mason  remained 
entirely  ignorant  of  what  was  transpiring  regarding 
the  duel,  until  his  mangled  corps  was  brought  into  his 
dwelling,  from  which  he  had  so  recently  gone  forth  in 
all  the  vigor  of  life  and  manhood.  And  here  let  us 
drop  the  curtain,  nor  intrude  on  that  scene  of  domestic 
affliction  around  the  deserted  hearth-stone  of  the 
bereaved  family  of  General  Mason. 

But  where  is  Mr.  McCarter,  the  more  fortunate  party 
in  the  duel  ?  Hurrying  away  from  the  frightful  scene, 
his  hands  dripping  with  the  blood  of  his  fellow-man, 
he  skulks  about,  until  an  opportunity  is  given  him  to 
step  on  board  a  vessel  bound  to  a  foreign  port ;  he 
leaves  home,  friends  and  country,  in  the  vain  hope  of 
finding  peace  of  mind,  and  ridding  himself  of  that  guilt 
and  censure  which  must  attach  itself  to  a  crime  so 
heinous  as  that  of  taking  the  life  of  another. 
I  can  but  regard  the  inhuman  practice  of  dueling 
as  the  legitimate  fruit  of  Slavery. 


68  DUELING. 

Men  who  have  been  raised  in  the  Slave  States, 
where,  if  the  laws  do  not  give  them  the  power,  they 
do  not  restrain  them  from  cruelly  punishing  every 
offender  with  personal  violence,  even  unto  death,  if 
their  insulted  dignity  seems  to  demand  it.  It  is,  how- 
ever, encouraging  to  know  that  for  a  few  years  past 
the  practice  of  dueling  has  somewhat  fallen  into  disre- 
pute among  the  more  humane  and  candid  class  of 
community. 


CHAPTER    VIII, 


HORSE-RACING  AND  GENERAL  TRAINING. 

AFTER  the  return  of  the  wedding  party,  Mr.  Fitz- 
hugh  purchased  a  tract  of  land  near  that  of 
Capt.  Helm,  on  which  the  newly-married  couple  com- 
menced keeping  house.  They,  however,  became 
dissatisfied  with  their  location,  and  soon  after  sold 
their  possessions  and  returned  to  the  South. 

Capt.  Helm  still  continued  to  take  the  oversight  of 
his  slaves,  and  was  out  every  day,  superintending  his 
business,  just  as  his  overseer  used  to  do. 

About  this  time  a  man  named  Henry  Tower  came 
to  Bath  to  hire  "  slave  boys,"  as  we  were  called. 
The  Captain  hired  to  him,  Simon  and  myself,  and  a 
Mr.  Baker  also  hired  to  him  one  slave  named  Vol. 
McKenzie.  We  three  started  for  Dresden,  Ontario 
County,  where  we  arrived  in  due  time. 

Mr.  Tower  had  just  bought  a  tract  of  land,  three 
miles  this  side  of  the  village  of  Lyons,  on  the  Canan- 
daigua  outlet.     Here  Mr.  Tower  contemplated  making 


70  HORSE-RACING  AND  GENERAL  TRAINING. 

great  improvements,  building  mills,  opening  stores 
&c.  This  tract  of  land  was  comparatively  wild,  there 
being  but  a  small  frame  house  for  a  dwelling,  one  for 
a  store,  and  another  for  a  blacksmith  shop.  Mr. 
Tower  had  two  brothers  ;  James,  the  eldest,  who  took 
charge  of  the  store,  and  John,  the  younger,  who  took 
charge  of  the  hands  who  worked  on  the  farm  ;  Henry 
himself  superintending  the  building  of  the  mills.  This 
firm  had  a  great  number  of  men  in  their  employ  that 
year.  I  was  kept  busy  helping  the  women  about  the 
cooking  and  house-work.  And  here,  for  the  first  time 
in  my  life,  I  had  a  comfortable  bed  to  sleep  on,  and 
plenty  of  wholesome  food  to  eat ;  which  was  some- 
thing both  new  and  strange  to  me. 

The  Towers  were  thorough-going  business-men; 
they  built  a  large  grist  mill,  with  four  run  of  stone, 
and  also  a  distillery.  In  those  days  it  was  customary 
for  nearly  all  classes  to  drink  spirituous  liquors ;  hence, 
the  distilleries  were  sources  of  great  pecuniary  interest 
to  those  who  owned  them.  But  having  lived  to  see 
the  dreadful  evils  which  the  drinking  of  alcoholic 
beverages  have  produced  on  community,  I  can  hardly 
speak  of  distilleries  in  the  favorable  light  in  which 
they  were  then  regarded. 

The  Towers,  with  commendable  enterprize,  cleared 
a  great  number  of  acres  of  land  during  the  first  year 
I  lived  with  them,  besides  doing  a  heavy  business  in 
the  mill,  store  and  distillery. 


ATTEND  A  HORSE-RACE.  7 1 

It  was  customary  then  for  men  to  assemble  at  some 
public  place  for  the  purpose  of  drinking  whisky  and 
racing  horses. 

One  Saturday  afternoon  there  was  to  be  a  race,  and 
all  was  excitement.  Being  young,  I  wished  to  go 
with  the  rest.  I  hurried  through  my  work  as  fast  as 
possible,  and  then,  with  a  trembling  heart,  set  off  in 
search  of  my  master,  fearing  lest  he  would  refuse  me 
the  simple  request.  But  he  happened  to  be  in  uncom- 
mon good  humor,  and  readily  gave  his  consent ;  and 
away  I  went,  "  as  happy  as  a  lark."  When  I  reached 
the  race-ground,  they  were  just  preparing  to  run  the 
horses.  Seeing  me,  they  knew  me  to  be  a  poor  friend- 
less little  slave  boy,  helpless  and  unprotected,  and  they 
could  therefore  do  with  me  as  they  pleased,  and  have 
some  fine  sport  at  my  expense.  • 

"When  I  was  asked  to  ride  one  of  the  fast  horses,  I 
felt  proud  of  the  honor  conferred,  and  was  assisted  to 
-mount,  feeling  highly  elated  with  the  lofty  position  I 
had  gained. 

The  word  "go,"  was  shouted,  and  the  horse  whirled 
off,  and  it  seemed  to  me  as  if  he  flew  with  the  speed  of 
lightning.  My  hat  fell  off  the  first  thing ;  and  there 
I  was,  clinging  with  might  and  main  to  the  neck  of 
the  fiery  animal,  my  head  bare,  my  feet  bootless,  and 
my  old  stripped  shirt  blown  from  my  back,  and 
streaming  out  behind,  and  fluttering  like  a  banner  in 
the  breeze ;  my  ragged  pants  off  at  the  knees,  and  my 


72  HORSE-RACING  AND  GENERAL  TRAINING. 

long  legs  dangling  down  some  length,  below ;  and  at 
the  same  time  crying  "  Whoa !  whoa !"  as  loud  as  I 
could.  Nor  was  this  all ;  frightened  as  I  was,  nearly 
to  death,  I  cast  a  despairing  look  behind  me,  and  the 
loud,  derisive  laugh,  of  the  bystanders  rung  in  my 
ears. 

Ludicrous  as  I  must  have  appeared,  this  was  too 
much, — I  felt  a  giddiness  coming  over  me,  my  brain 
reeled,  my  hold  relaxed,  and  the  next  instant  I  had 
fallen  to  the  ground,  where  all  consciousness  left  me. 
"When  I  came  to  my  senses  I  was  lying  in  bed,  sur- 
rounded by  all  the  appurtenances  of  a  dying  person. 

The  first  thing  I  heard  was  Mr.  Tower  scolding  the 
men  who  put  me  on  the  horse,  and  threatening  them 
with  a  law-suit  for  presuming  to  do  such  a  thing  with- 
out his  permission.  Mr.  Tower  considered  himself 
holden  to  Capt.  Helm  for  my  safe  return,  and  was 
therefore  justly  indignant  at  their  placing  my  life  in 
such  peril.  It  was  indeed  a  narrow  escape,  for  the 
horse  was  running  with  all  his  speed  when  I  fell.  My 
bones  were  unbroken,  however,  and  I  suppose  it  must 
have  been  the  tremendous  jar  I  got  when  I  fell  that 
rendered  me  unconscious  ;  nor  do  I  think  it  impossible 
that  the  fright  may  not  have  contributed  somewhat  to 
the  catastrophe. 

It  was  while  I  was  living  with  that  gentleman  that 
the  greatest  "  general  training"  ever  known  in  Western 
New  York,  came  off  at  "  Oak's  Corners,"  in  the  town 


GO   TO    ''GENERAL  TRAINING."  73 

of  Phelps.  It  really  seemed  to  me  that  the  whole 
world  were  going  to  the  training,  and  I,  of  course,  felt 
a  great  curiosity  to  go  where  "all  creation"  appeared  to 
be  going.  Mr.  Tower  permitted  me  to  go,  and  I 
started  off  in  high  spirits.  "When  I  arrived  within 
two  or  three  miles  of  the  place  the  road  was  almost 
blocked  up  with  people,  and  when  I  got  to  Oak's 
Corners  the  crowd  beggared  all  description ;  carriages 
of  all  sorts  were  there,  containing  eatables  of  all  kinds, 
and  tents  of  all  dimensions  were  on  the  road-side,  for 
the  houses  could  not  begin  to  accommodate  the  people. 
The  entire  brigade  was  to  meet  at  that  place,  and  Grov. 
Lewis  was  expected  to  review  the  different  companies, 
and  all  were  anxious  to  see  the  Governor,  for,  in  those 
day§,  it  was  a  rare  thing  to  see  so  high  a  dignitary  in 
Western  ISTew  York ;  the  eastern  portion  of  the  State 
having  had  every  thing  of  that  kind  their  own  way. 

'Nor  was  the  means  and  mode  of  traveling  brought 
to  such  perfection  as  now.  The  roads  were  new  and 
rough,  and  our  best  public  conveyances  only  the  slow 
lumbering  stage-coach ;  yet,  notwithstanding  these 
inconveniences,  there  was  an  innumerable  crowd 
gathered  at  that  place.  I  spent  the  day  in  walking 
about  the  encampment,  and  seeing  what  was  to  be 
seen,  for  it  was  all  new  to  me. 

Officers  were  riding  over  the  ground,  dressed  in 
uniform,  and  mounted  on  their  splendid  steeds :  their 
plumes  waving  over  their  cocked-hats  in  true  military 
D 


74  HORSE-RACING  AND   GENERAL  TRAINING. 

array.  A  band  of  music,  as  is  usual,  accompanied  the 
soldiers.  There  was  also  a  "  sham-fight,"  before  the 
breaking  up  of  the  encampment,  and  it  was  really  ter- 
rifying to  me,  who  had  never  seen  a  battle  fought,  to 
witness  two  columns  of  troops  drawn  up,  and,  at  the 
roll  of  the  drum,  behold  them  engage  in  deadly  con- 
flict, to  all  appearance,  and  the  smoke  curling  up  in 
a  blackened  mass  toward  heaven ;  and,  above  all,  the 
neighing  of  horses,  with  the  feigned  groans  of  the 
wounded  and  dying.  I  inwardly  prayed  to  God  that 
those  men  might  ever  draw  their  weapons  in  a  feigned 
encounter. 

The  first  night  I  spent  at  the  encampment  was  one 
long  to  be  remembered ;  it  was  like  the  confusion  of 
Babel.  Of  all  the  hideous  noises  I  ever  heard 
none  could  exceed  those  made  there  that  night.  They 
fired  guns,  quarreled,  drank,  and  swore,  till  day  light. 
There  was  such  a  crowd  at  the  tavern  that  I  did  not 
suppose  I  could  get  a  bed,  so  I  threw  myself  down 
upon  a  door-step,  and  began  to  compose  myself  to 
sleep,  when  a  man  came  and  wakened  me,  inquiring 
at  the  same  time  whose  boy  I  was.  I  replied  that  I 
lived  with  Mr.  Tower.  u Follow  me,"  said  he;  I 
arose  and  followed  him  into  the  house,  where  he  pro- 
cured for  me  a  bed,  to  be  shared  with  another  "boy," 
who  had  already  occupied  it. 

I  had  just  began  to  dose,  when  the  explosion  of  fire- 
arms startled   all  in  the  house.     The  keeper  of  the 


NARROWLY  ESCAPE   BEING  SHOT.  75 

tavern  ran  up  stairs  in  great  alarm,  and  when  an  ex- 
amination was  made,  we  found  that  a  drunken  fellow 
had  discharged  his  musket  in  the  room  below  the  one 
where  we  were  sleeping,  and  that  the  ball  had  passed 
up  through  the  second  floor  and  completely  through 
the  bed  on  which  I  slept,  to  the  roof,  where,  having 
passed  through  that  also,  rolled  from  thence  to  the 
ground !  And  yet,  strange  as  it  may  appear,  no  one 
was  injured,  though  the  house  was  filled  to  overflow- 
ing with  guests. 

There  were  groups  of  disorderly  and  drunken  men 
continually  roaming  over  the  camp-ground  at  night, 
who  seemed  to  have  no  other  object  than  to  annoy 
others,  and  torment  any  one  they  might  find  sleeping, 
by  shaking  them,  or,  if  soundly  asleep,  dragging  them 
out  of  their  beds  by  their  feet.  Among  these  thus 
annoyed  by  them  was  a  physician  from  Canandaigua. 
Being  a  passionate  man,  they  seemed  to  think  it  fine 
sport  to  arouse  him  from  sleep  and  hear  him  scold. 
The  first  time  they  dragged  him  from  his  tent  he 
merely  remonstrated  in  a  very  gentlemanly  manner, 
and  quietly  crept  back  again.  The  rowdies  were  dis- 
appointed; they  had  expected  a  "  scene."  As  soon  as 
he  was  asleep  they  attacked  him  again,  dragging  him 
out  by  the  heels;  then  he  was  angry,  and  told  them 
if  they  repeated  the  offence  it  would  be  at  the  peril  of 
their  lives,  and  a  third  time  retired  to  his  tent ;  but  a 
third  party  soon  came,  and  one,  more  bold  than  the 


76  HORSE-RACING   AND   GENERAL   TRAINING. 

rest,  entered  the  tent  and  laid  hold  of  the  Doctor.  He 
sprang  to  his  feet  and  drew  his  sword,  which  he  ran 
through  the  body  of  a  man  supposed  to  be  that  of  his 
tormentor ;  but  oh !  what  sorrow  and  consternation  pos- 
sessed him  when  he  found  he  had  taken  the  life  of  a 
quiet,  unoffending  person  who  happened  to  be  standing 
by,  attracted  to  the  spot  probably  by  the  noise  of  the 
revelers.  The  unhappy  Doctor  was  obliged  to  flee  from 
his  country  for  a  time,  but  after  a  while  the  shadows 
which  had  so  suddenly  fallen  on  his  fair  prospects 
were  cleared  away,  and  he  returned  to  his  home 
and  country. 

The  second  day  of  the  encampment  was  one  of  sur- 
passing beauty.  The  sun  shone  in  all  its  softened 
radiance  on  that  vast  concourse  of  human  beings. 
The  field  presented  a  spectacle  which  must  have  been 
imposing  to  those  of  more  experienced  vision  than 
mine;  but  to  me,  in  my  ignorant  simplicity,  it  was 
superbly  grand  ;  facinating  beyond  my  power  of  resist- 
ance, and  made  an  impression  on  my  mind  never  to 
be  effaced. 

The  brigade  was  drawn  up  in  a  line,  each  colonel 
stationed  just  so  many  paces  in  front  of  the  line,  and 
all  the  other  officers,  such  as  majors,  quarter-masters, 
&c,  were  stationed  at  an  equal  distance  in  the  rear. 
When  all  were  paraded,  the  Governor  of  the  State 
made  his  appearance,  dressed  in  full  uniform,  his  hat 
being  one   of  the   Bonaparte   style,  attended  by  his 


THE   GRAND   REVIEW.  77 

aid-de-camp,  who  was  dressed  much  in  the  same  man- 
ner as  his  Excellency  Governor  Lewis,  who,  after  the 
salute,  took  his  place  at  the  head  of  the  "brigade,  and 
the  military  exercises  commenced.  When  the  Gov- 
ernor issued  his  orders,  they  were  first  given  to  his  aid, 
who  passed  them  to  the  officers,  and  they  gave  the 
word  of  command  to  the  soldiers  ;  for  instance  if  the 
Grovernor  wished  the  brigade  to  "  shoulder  arms," — ■ 
the  order  went  to  the  officer  who  commanded  the  first 
regiment,  and  he  repeated  the  order,  and  was  obeyed ; 
then  the  same  order  passed  to  the  next,  and  so  on, 
until  the  whole  brigade  had  complied  with  the  order 
of  his  Excellency. 

But  this,  I  believe,  was  the  first  and  last  time  that 
the  military  were  ever  called  out  on  so  large  a  scale, 
in  the  State  of  New  York.  It  was  supposed  that  the 
effect  would  be  decidedly  injurious  to  a  community 
and  the  idea  was  abandoned.  Young  men  were  so  liable 
to  be  fascinated  by  the  magnificent  spectacle,  that  not 
the  rabble  only  were  attracted  by  the  "trappings  of 
war,"  but  they  have  a  tendency  to  induce  young,  and 
old  men  even,  of  fair  prospects,  to  neglect  their  agricul- 
tural interests  for  military  pursuits,  which,  in  a  new 
country,  were  certainly  of  paramount  importance,  if 
not  the  greater  of  the  two. 

I  know  that  it  became  very  hard  for  me  to  content 
myself  to  labor  as  I  had  done,  after  witnessing  this 
grand  display.     I  was  completely  intoxicated  with  a 


78  HORSE-RACING  AND  GENERAL  TRAINING. 

military  spirit,  and  sighed  for  the  liberty  to  go  out 
(i  on  the  lines"  and  fight  the  British. 

The  martial  music,  the  waving  plumes,  and  magni- 
ficent uniform,  had  driven  from  my  mind  entirely  the 
bloodshed  and  carnage  of  the  battle  field ;  beside,  I  was 
sick  and  tired  of  being  a  slave,  and  felt  ready  to  do 
almost  any  thing  to  get  where  I  could  act  and  feel  like 
a  free  man. 

I  became  acquainted  with  a  Mr.  McClure,  a  mer- 
chant in  Bath,  who,  while  on  a  journey  to  Philadel- 
phia, to  purchase  goods,  was  taken  suddenly  ill  and 
died ;  when  his  brother,  George  McClure,  came  on  to 
attend  to  his  diseased  brother's  business.  He  was  a 
fine,  persevering  kind  of  man,  and  very  soon  got  to  be 
General  McClure,  and  commanded  the  brigade  in 
Steuben  County,  and,  as  such,  was  liable  to  be  called 
at  any  time  when  his  services  were  required,  to  go  to 
the  frontier  and  guard  our  lines  from  the  invasion  of 
the  English  army. 

To  him  I  applied  for  a  situation  as  waiter,  which  he 
readily  agreed  to  give  me  if  I  could  get  the  consent  of 
Captain  Helm.  I  thought  there  would  be  no  trouble 
about  that ;  and  oh !  how  I  dreamed  of  and  anticipated 
the  happiness  of  being  something  beside  a  slave,  for  a 
little  while  at  least.  Almost  every  day  I  went  to  the 
store  to  talk  to  Gen.  McClure  of  this  greatest  happiness 
imaginable,  "going  to  the  lines  I"  and  was  impatient 
for  the  chance  to  arrive  that  would  send  me  there. 


DESIRE  TO   BECOME  A  SOLDIER  FRUSTRATED.      79 

At  last  Gren.  McClure  wrote  to  Gren.  Armstrong,  to 
say  that  he  was  ready  to  obey  any  order  that  he  might 
send  him,  and  march  to  "  the  lines,"  if  his  services 
were  needed ;  and,  to  my  inexpressible  joy,  marching 
orders  were  returned.  I  nearly  flew  in  search  of  Capt. 
Helm,  never  once  suspecting  that  he  would  object; 
because  I  knew  that  he  did  not  then  require  my  services 
himself,  and  the  pay  would  be  quite  as  good  as  he  had 
been  receiving  for  my  time ;  besides  I  had  so  com- 
pletely set  my  heart  on  going,  that  it  was  impossible 
for  me  to  dream  of  a  disappointment  so  bitter  as  that 
of  being  denied  going  "to  the  lines." 

Oh  !  how  then  were  my  high  hopes  fallen,  and  how 
much  more  hateful  appeared  that  slavery  which  had 
blighted  all  my  military  prospects  ?  Nor  was  Capt. 
Helm's  heartless  and  mercenary  reply  to  my  humble 
pleading  any  antidote  to  my  disappointed  feelings  and 
desire  for  freedom.  He  said,  "you  shall  not  go;. I 
will  permit  nothing  of  the  kind,  so  let  there  be  an  end 
to  it.  The  pay  is  all  well  enough,  I  know,  but  if  you 
get  killed  your  wages  will  stop;  and  then  who,  do 
you  suppose,  will  indemnify  me  for  the  loss?  Go 
about  your  business,  and  let  me  hear  no  more  of  such 
nonsense !" 

There  was  an  emergency  I  had  not  provided  for ; 
and,  as  I  then  believed,  the  master  could  make  no 
demand  on  or  for  the  slaves  beyond  the  grave,  I  was 
silent  \  but  both  master  and  myself  were  mistaken  on 


80  HORSE-RACING  AND   GENERAL   TRAINING. 

that  point ;  for  I  have  since  learned  numerous  instances 
where  slaves  have  fought  and  died  in  the  service  of 
their  master's  country,  and  the  slave-owner  received 
his  wages  up  to  the  hour  of  his  death,  and  then 
recovered  of  the  United  States  the  full  value  of  his 
person  as  property ! 

Gren.  McClure  left  soon  after  for  the  frontier;  my 
saddened  heart  followed  him,  and  that  was  all;  my 
body  was  in  slavery  still,  and  painful  though  it  was, 
I  must  quietly  submit. 

The  General,  however,  reaped  but  few  if  any 
laurels  in  that  campaign;  he  burned  the  small  village 
of  Newark,  in  Canada,  for  which  he  got  very  little 
credit  on  either  side  of  the  lake ;  so  I  comforted  my- 
self as  well  as  I  could  with  the  reflection,  that  all  who 
"went  to  the  wars"  did  not  return  covered  with  glory 
and  laurels  of  victory. 

I  continued  to  live  with  the  Towers;  and  in  the 
fall  of  that  year,  I  had  the  misfortune  to  cut  my  foot 
badly.  While  chopping  fire  wood  at  the  door,  I  acci- 
dentally struck  my  ax  against  a  post,  which  glanced 
the  blow  in  such  a  manner  that  it  came  down  with 
sufficient  force  to  nearly  sever  my  great  toe  from 
my  left  foot,  gashing  upward  completely  through 
the  large  joint,  which  made  a  terrible  wound.  Dr. 
Taylor  was  immediately  called,  and  sewed  the  flesh 
together,  taking  two  stitches  on  the  upper,  and  one 
on  the  under,  side  of  the  foot,  before  it  began  to  swell ; 


WOUNDED  FOOT — RETURN  TO  BATH.  81 

but  when  the  swelling  came  on,  the  stitches  on  the 
upper  side  gave  way,  which  occasioned  the  toe  to  fall 
over  so  much,  that  I  have  been  slightly  lame  from 
that  day  to  this.  For  several  weeks  I  was  unable  to 
be  moved,  and  was  regularly  attended  by  Dr.  Taylor, 
but  as  soon  as  it  could  be  done  without  danger,  I  was 
taken  back  to  Capt.  Helm's,  where  I  found  things  in 
much  the  same  condition  as  when  I  left  them  over 
a  year  before. 

On  leaving  the  family  of  Mr.  Tower,  I  endeavored 
to  express  to  them  as  well  in  my  power  the  gratitude 
I  felt  for  their  kindness,  and  the  attention  I  had  re- 
ceived during  my  lameness. 

We  returned  to  Bath  in  a  sleigh,  and  arrived  with- 
out accident  or  any  great  suffering.  But  the  kind 
treatment  I  had  always  received  from  the  Messrs. 
Tower  and  family,  made  it  very  hard  for  me  to 
reconcile  myself  to  my  former  mode  of  living; 
especially  now  that  I  was  lame  and  weak,  from  sick- 
ness and  long  confinement;  besides,  it  was  cold 
weather.  Oh !  how  hard  it  did  seem  to  me,  after 
having  a  good  bed  and  plenty  of  bed  clothes  every 
night  for  so  long  time,  to  now  throw  myself  down, 
like  a  dog,  on  the  "softest  side'1  of  a  rough  board,  with- 
out a  pillow,  and  without  a  particle  of  bedding  to 
cover  me  during  the  long  cold  nights  of  winter.  To 
be  reduced  from  a  plentiful  supply  of  good,  whole- 
some food,  to  the  mere  pittance  which  the  Captain 
allowed  his  slaves,  seemed  to  me  beyond  endurance. 
D* 


82         HORSE-RACING  AND   GENERAL  TRAINING. 

And  yet  I  had  always  lived  and  fared  thus,  "but  I 
never  felt  so  bitterly  these  hardships  and  the  cruelties 
of  Slavery  as  I  did  at  that  time ;  making  a  virtue  of 
necessity,  however,  I  turned  my  thoughts  in  another 
direction. 

I  managed  to  purchase  a  spelling  book,  and  set 
about  teaching  myself  to  read,  as  best  I  could.  Every 
spare  moment  I  could  find  was  devoted  to  that  em- 
ployment, and  when  about  my  work  I  could  catch 
now  and  then  a  stolen  glance  at  my  book,  just  to 
refresh  my  memory  with  the  simple  lesson  I  was 
trying  to  learn.  But  here  Slavery  showed  its  cloven 
foot  in  all  its  hideous  deformity.  It  finally  reached  the 
ears  of  my  master  that  I  was  learning  to  read;  and  then, 
if  he  saw  me  with  a  book  or  a  paper  in  my  hand,  oh, 
how  he  would  swear  at  me,  sending  me  off  in  a  hurry, 
about  some  employment.  Still  I  persevered,  but  was 
more  careful  about  being  seen  making  any  attempt  to 
learn  to  read.  At  last,  however,  I  was  discovered, 
and  had  to  pay  the  penalty  of  my  determination. 

I  had  been  set  to  work  in  the  sugar  bush,  and  I 
took  my  spelling  book  with  me.  When  a  spare 
moment  occurred  I  sat  down  to  study,  and  so  absorbed 
was  I  in  the  attempt  to  blunder  through  my  lesson, 
that  I  did  not  hear  the  Captain's  son-in-law  coming 
until  he  was  fairly  upon  me.  He  sprang  forward, 
caught  my  poor  old  spelling  book,  and  threw  it  into 
the  fire,  where  it  was  burned  to  ashes ;  and  then  came 


FLOGGED  FOR  LEARNING  TO  READ.      83 

my  turn.  He  gave  me  first  a  severe  flogging,  and 
then  swore  if  he  ever  caught  me  with  another  book, 
he  would  "whip  every  inch  of  skin  off  my  back,"  &c. 
This  treatment,  however,  instead  of  giving  me  the 
least  idea  of  giving  it  up,  only  made  me  look  upon  it 
as  a  more  valuable  attainment.  Else,  why  should  my 
oppressors  feel  so  unwilling  that  their  slaves  should 
possess  that  which  they  thought  so  essential  to 
themselves  ?  Even  then,  with  my  back  bleeding  and 
smarting  from  the  punishment  I  had  received,  I 
determined  to  learn  to  read  and  write,  at  all  hazards, 
if  my  life  was  only  spared.  About  this  time  Capt. 
Helm  began  to  sell  off  his  slaves  to  different  per- 
sons, as  he  could  find  opportunity,  and  sometimes 
at  a  great  sacrifice.  It  became  apparent  that  the 
Captain,  instead  of  prospering  in  business,  was  getting 
poorer  every  day. 


CHAPTEB    IX. 


DEATH  BED  AND  BBIDAL  SCENES. 

"VTEITHER  Capt.  Helm  nor  Lis  wife  made  any 
_L  i  religions  pretensions.  I  hardly  know  whether 
or  not  they  were  avowed  infidels ;  but  they  alike 
ridicnled  all  religions  professions  and  possessed  some 
very  singular  notions  regarding  life  and  death. 

I  have  often  heard  the  Captain  say,  that  no  person 
need  die  unless  they  choose  to  do  so ;  and  his  wife 
was  of  the  same  belief.  I  have  frequently  heard  her 
remark  that  if  mankind  would  firmly  resist  death  it 
would  flee  from  them.  ^ 

An  opportunity,  however,  was  soon  after  given  to 
test  the  truth  of  this  strange  dogma.  Mrs.  Helm's 
health  began  to  decline,  but  she  would  pay  no  atten- 
tion to  it,  following  her  usual  course  and  regular 
routine  of  household  duties ;  but  all  in  vain ;  she  was 
taken  down,  alarmingly  ill,  and  it  became  apparent  to 
all,  that  the  "king  of  terrors"  had  chosen  his  victim. 


"  If  any  one  had  ever  envied  Mrs.  Helm  in  her  drawing-room,  richly  attired  and 
sparkling  with  jewels,  or  as  she  moved  with  the  stately  step  of  a  queen  among  her 
trembling  slaves,  they  should  have  beheld  her  on  her  death-bed  I "  page  86. 


DEATH  OF  MRS.   HELM.  85 

She  tried  with  all  her  natural  energy  of  character,  to\ 
baffle  his  pursuit  and  escape  his  steady  approach,  but  j 
all  to  no  purpose.  "  The  valley  and  the  shadow  of 
death"  were  before  her,  and  she  had  no  assurance  that 
the  "rod  and  staff"  of  the  Almighty  would  sustain 
and  comfort  her  through  the  dark  passage.  She 
shrank  with  perfect  horror  from  the  untried  scenes  of 
the  future. 

If  any  one  had  ever  envied  Mrs.  Helm  in  her 
drawing-room,  richly  attired  and  sparkling  with  jewels, 
or  as  she  moved  with  the  stately  step  of  a  queen 
among  her  trembling  slaves,  they  should  have  beheld 
her  on  her  death  bed  I  They  should  have  listened  to 
her  groans  and  cries  for  help,  while  one  piercing 
shriek  after  another  rang  through  the  princely  man- 
sion of  which  she  had  been  the  absolute  mistress ! 

Surrounded  as  she  was  with  every  elegance  and 
luxury  that  wealth  could  procure,  she  lay  shrieking 
out  her  prayers  for  a  short  respite,  a  short  lengthening 
out  of  the  life  she  had  spent  so  unprofitably ;  her  eyes 
wandering  restlessly  about  the  apartment,  and  her 
hands  continually  clinching  the  air,  as  if  to  grasp 
something  that  would  prevent  her  from  sinking  into 
the  embrace  of  death !  There  was  not  a  slave  present, 
who  would  have  exchanged  places  with  her.  Not 
one  of  those  over  whom  she  had  ruled  so  arbitrarily 
would  have  exchanged  their  rough,  lowly  cabin  and 
quiet  conscience,  for  all  the  wealth  and  power  she  had 
ever  possessed. 


86  DEATH  BED  AND  BRIDAL  SCENES. 

Nothing  of  all  she  had  enjoyed  in  life,  nor  all  that 
she  yet  called  her  own,  could  give  her  one  hour  of  life 
or  one  peaceful  moment  in  death ! 

Oh !  what  a  scene  was  that !  The  wind  blew,  and 
great  drops  of  rain  fell  on  the  casements.  The  room 
lighted  only  with  a  single  taper ;  the  wretched  wife 
mingles  her  dying  groans  with  the  howling  of  the 
storm,  until,  as  the  clock  struck  the  hour  of  midnight 
she  fell  back  upon  her  pillow  and  expired,  amid  the 
tears  and  cries  of  her  family  -and  friends,  who  not  only 
deplored  the  loss  of  a  wife  and  mother,  but  were 
grieved  by  the  manner  in  which  she  died. 

The  slaves  were  all  deeply  affected  by  the  scene ; 
some  doubtless  truly  lamented  the  death  of  their 
mistress;  others  rejoiced  that  she  was  no  more,  and  all 
were  more  or  less  frightened.  One  of  them  I  remem- 
ber went  to  the  pump  and  wet  his  face,  so  as  to  appear 
to  weep  with  the  rest. 

What  a  field  was  opened  for  reflection,  by  the 
agonizing  death  of  Mrs.  Helm?  Born  and  reared  in 
affluence;  well  educated  and  highly  accomplished, 
possessed  of  every  means  to  become  a  useful  woman 
and  an  ornament  to  her  sex ;  which  she  most  likely 
would  have  been,  had  she  been  instructed  in  the 
Christian  religion,  and  had  lived  under  a  different 
influence.  As  infidelity  ever  deteriorates  from  the 
female  character,  so  Slavery  transforms  more  than  one, 
otherwise  excellent  woman,  into  a  feminine  monster. 


DANGER  OF  THE  SOCIAL  GLASS.  87 

Of  Mrs.  Helm,  with  her  active  intellect  and  great 
force  of  character,  it  made  a  tyrannical  demon.  Her 
race,  however,  is  ended ;  her  sun  gone  down  in  dark- 
ness, and  her  soul  we  must  leave  in  the  keeping  of  a 
righteous  God,  to  whom  we  must  all  give  an  account 
for  the  deeds  done  in  the  body.  But  in  view  of  the 
transitory  pleasures  of  this  life;  the  unsatisfactory 
realization  of  wealth,  and  the  certainty  of  death,  we 
may  well  inquire,  "  What  shall  it  profit  a  man  to  gain 
the  whole  world  and  lose  his  own  soul  ?  " 

Some  little  time  after  the  scene  just  recorded,  there 
came  to  Bath  a  young  physician  named  Henry,  who 
commenced  practice  under  very  flattering  prospects. 
He  was  an  accomplished  young  man,  well  educated 
and  very  skillful  in  his  profession.  He  was  affable 
and  gay  in  his  manners,  and  very  fond  of  company. 
An  intimate  acquaintance  was  soon  formed  with 
Capt.  Helm  and  family,  and  he  called  almost  daily  to 
chat  and  drink  wine  with  the  Captain, — both  being 
quite  fond  of  a  social  glass. 

One  night  in  the  depth  of  winter,  the  Doctor  was 
called  to  see  a  patient  who  lived  six  miles  down  the 
Conhocton  river.  Previous,  however,  to  the  call,  he 
had  accepted  an  invitation  to  attend  a  party  at  Capt. 
Helm's,  and  there  he  was  found.  They  had  music  and 
dancing,  while  the  wine  passed  around  very  freely. 
jSTone  seemed  to  join  in  the  dance  and  other  amuse 
ments  of  the  evening  with  more  enjoyment  than  did 


88  DEATH   BED   AND   BRIDAL   SCENES. 

Dr.  Henry ;  but  after  lie  was  sent  for,  it  being  a  most 
bitter  cold  night,  lie  asked  the  Captain  for  a  horse  to 
ride  to  see  his  patient,  to  which  he  readily  assented, 
and  had  his  fine  race-horse  (for  the  Captain  had  not  left 
off  all  his  old  habits),  brought  out  from  the  stable,  and 
the  Doctor  sprang  lightly  into  the  saddle.  Unfortu- 
nately his  way  led  by  the  race-course,  and  when  the 
trained  animal  came  to  it  he  started  with  such  speed 
as  to  throw  the  Doctor  to  the  ground,  where  he  lay 
all  that  terrible  cold  night.  In  the  morning,  some 
person  going  after  wood,  came  in  sight  of  the  Doctor 
as  he  was  trying  to  creep  away  on  his  frozen  hands 
and  feet.  He  was  put  into  the  sleigh  and  taken  to  the 
village  with  all  possible  speed.  All  was  done  for  him 
that  could  be,  but  his  feet  and  legs  were  frozen  solid. 
His  uncle,  Dr.  Henry,  was  brought  as  soon  as  possible, 
who  decided  that  nothing  could  save  his  life  but  the 
amputation  of  both  legs,  just  below  the  knee.  This 
was  done ;  but  what  a  change  in  the  prospects  of  this 
promising  young  man!  Instead  of  stepping  lightly 
about  as  he  used  to  do,  with  a  smiling  countenance, 
he  at  last  came  forth  after  a  tedious  confinement,  a 
cripple  for  life,  hobbling  about  on  his  knees,  sad  and 
dejected.  And  what,  think  you,  was  the  cause  of 
this  terrible  calamity  ?  What  prevented  the  Doctor 
from  an  exertion  to  save  his  life  ?  "Wine,  intoxicating 
wine,  was  undoubtedly  the  occasion  of  the  heedles3 
and  reckless  conduct  of  both  himself  and  Capt.  Herm. 


CAPT.   HELM   MARRIED  AGAIN.  bV 

And  should  not  this  circumstance  be  a  warning  to 
parents  and  guardians,  to  young  men  and  children,  "  to 
look  not  upon  the  wine  when  it  is  red,"  and  remember 
that  at  last  u  it  will  bite  like  a  serpent  and  sting  like  an 
adder?  "  Should  it  not  also  remind  those  who  have 
guests  to  entertain,  of  the  sinfulness  of  putting  the 
cup  to  their  neighbor's  lips  ?  Certainly  it  should.  But 
I  must  resume  my  story. 

About  this  time  Major  Thornton  of  Bath,  died.  He 
had  long  been  an  intimate  friend  and  acquaintance  of 
Capt.  Helm,  and  as  the  reader  is  already  informed  of 
the  death  of  Mrs.  Helm,  they  will  not  be  surprised  to 
know  that  he  began  to  look  earnestly  after  the  widow 
of  his  late  friend.  It  become  apparent  that  his  solici- 
tude for  the  loneliness  of  Madam  Thornton  was  not  so 
much  as  a  disconsolate  widow,  as  that  of  making  her 
the  future  Mrs.  Helm ;  nor  was  it  less  observable  that 
the  new-made  widow  accepted  the  Captain's  atten- 
tions with  great  favor,  and  more  as  a  lover  than  a 
comforter. 

The  result  was,  after  the  Major  had  been  dead  six 
weeks,  Capt.  Helm  was  married  to  his  widow,  and 
brought  her  and  her  servants  in  great  triumph  to  his  I 
house,  giving  her  the  charge  of  it.     His  own  servants/ 
were  discharged,  and  hers  took  their  places. 

All  went  on  pleasantly  for  a  while ;  then  the  slaves  5 
began  to  grow  sullen  and  discontented;  and  two  of 
them  ran  away.     Capt.  Helm  started  a  man  named 


90  DEATH   BED   AND   BRIDAL   SCENES. 

Morrison,  a  Scotchman,  in  pursuit,  who  hunted  them 
ten  days,  and  then  returned  without  any  tidings  of 
the  absconding  slaves.  They  made  good  their  escape 
and  were  never  heard  from  afterwards,  by  those  whose 
interest  suffered  by  the  loss. 

I  was  one  afternoon  at  a  neighbor's  house  in  the 
village,  when  I  was  suddenly  taken  so  violently  ill 
with  pain  in  my  head  and  side,  that  I  had  to  be  carried 
home.  When  we  arrived  there,  I  was  allowed  a 
pallet  of  straw  to  lie  on,  which  was  better  than 
nothing.  Day  after  day,  my  disease  increased  in 
violence,  and  my  master  employed  a  physician  to 
attend  me  through  my  illness,  which  brought  me  very- 
low  indeed.  I  was  constantly  burning  with  fever, 
and  so  thirsty  that  I  knew  not  what  I  would  have 
given  for  a  draught  of  cold  water,  which  was  denied 
me  by  the  physician's  direction.  I  daily  grew  weaker 
until  I  was  reduced  to  helplessness,  and  was  little  else 
than  "  skin  and  bones."  I  really  thought  my  time  had 
come  to  die ;  and  when  I  had  strength  to  talk,  I  tried 
to  arrange  the  few  little  business  affairs  I  had,  and 
give  my  father  direction  concerning  them.  And  then 
I  began  to  examine  my  own  condition  before  God, 
and  to  determine  how  the  case  stood  between  Him  and 
my  poor  soul.  And  "there  was  the  rub."  I  had 
often  excused  myself,  for  frequent  derelictions  in  duty, 
and  often  wild  and  passionate  outbreaks,  on  account 
of  the  hardness   of  my  lot,  and  the  injustice  with 


SICK-BED  KEFLECTIONS.  91 

which  I  was  treated,  even  in  my  best  endeavors  to  do 
as  well  as  I  knew  how.  But  now,  with  death  staring 
me  in  the  face,  I  could  see  that  though  I  was  a  friend- 
less "slave-boy,"  I  had  not  always  done  as  well  as  I 
knew  how ;  that  I  had  not  served  Grod  as  I  knew  I 
ought,  nor  had  I  always  set  a  good  example  before  my 
fellow-slaves,  nor  warned  them  as  well  as  I  might,  "to 
flee  the  wrath  to  come."  Then  I  prayed  my  Heavenly 
Father  to  spare  me  a  little  longer,  that  I  might 
serve  Him  better;  and  in  His  mercy  and  gracious 
goodness,  He  did  so;  though  when  the  fever  was 
turning  they  gave  me  up ;  and  I  could  hear  them  say, 
when  they  came  to  feel  my  pulse,  "he  is  almost  gone," 
"it  will  soon  be  over,'  &c,  and  then  inquire  if  I 
knew  them.  I  did,  but  was  too  weak  to  say  so.  I 
recollect  with  gratitude,  the  kindness  of  Mrs.  H.  A. 
Townsend,  who  sent  me  many  delicacies  and  cooling 
drinks  to  soften  the  rigor  of  my  disease ;  and  though 
I  suppose  she  has  long  since  "passed  away"  and  gone 
to  her  reward,  may  the  blessing  of  those  who  are 
ready  to  perish,  rest  upon  the  descendants  of  that 
excellent  woman. 

Capt.  Helm  was  driving  on  in  his  milling,  distillery 
and  farming  business.  He  now  began  to  see  the 
necessity  of  treating  his  slaves  better  by  far  than  he 
had  ever  done  before,  and  granted  them  greater 
privileges  than  he  would  have  dared  to  do  at  the 
South.  Many  of  the  slaves  he  had  sold,  were  getting 
their  liberty  and  doing  well. 


CHAPTEK     X. 


HIRED   OUT  TO   A  NEW   MASTER, 

WHILE  I  was  staying  with  my  master  at  Bath,  he 
having  little  necessity  for  my  services,  hired  me 
out  to  a  man  by  the  name  of  Joseph  Robinson,  for  the 
purpose  of  learning  me  to  drive  a  team.  Robinson 
lived  about  three  miles  from  the  village  of  Bath,  on  a 
small  farm,  and  was  not  only  a  poor  man  but  a  very 
mean  one.  He  was  cross  and  heartless  in  his  family, 
as  well  as  tyrannical  and  cruel  to  those  in  his  employ ; 
and  having  hired  me  as  a  "  slave  boy,"  he  appeared 
to  feel  at  full  liberty  to  wreak  his  brutal  passion  on 
me  at  any  time,  whether  I  deserved  rebuke  or  not ; 
nor  did  his  terrible  outbreaks  of  anger  vent  them- 
selves in  oaths,  curses  and  threatenings  only,  but  he 
would  frequently  draw  from  the  cart-tongue  a  heavy 
iron  pin,  and  beat  me  over  the  head  with  it,  so  unmer- 
cifully that  he  frequently  sent  the  blood  flowing  over 
my  scanty  apparel,  and  from  that  to  the  ground, 
before  he  could  feel  satisfied. 


SURPRISED   BY   A  RATTLE-SNAKE.  93 

These  kind  of  beatings  were  not  only  excessively 
painful,  but  they  always  reminded  me  of  the  blows 
I  had  so  often  received  from  the  key,  in  the  hand  of 
Mrs.  Helm,  when  I  was  but  a  little  waiter  lad  ;  and  in 
truth  I  must  say  that  the  effect  of  these  heavy  blows 
on  the  head,  have  followed  me  thus  far  through  life  ; 
subjecting  me  to  frequent  and  violent  head-aches,  from 
which  I  never  expect  to  be  entirely  free.  Even  to 
this  day  I  shudder  at  the  thought,  when  I  think  how 
Eobinson  used  to  fly  at  me,  swearing,  foaming,  and 
seeming  to  think  there  was  no  weapon  too  large  or 
too  heavy  to  strike  me  with. 

He  and  I  were  at  one  time  logging  with  a  yoke  of 
oxen,  which  it  was  my  business  to  drive.  At  that 
time  rattle-snakes  were  numerous,  and  a  great  terror 
to  the  inhabitants.  To  be  bitten  by  one  of  these 
poisonous  reptiles  was  certain  and  almost  instant 
death ;  hence,  the  greatest  caution  and  constant  vigi- 
lance was  necessary  to  avoid  them  while  at  work.  I 
had  been  sent  with  the  oxen  to  draw  a  log  to  the  pile, 
and  when  I  came  up  to  it,  I  observed  that  it  appeared 
to  be  hollow ;  but  stepping  forward,  with  the  chain  in 
my  hand,  ready  to  attach  it  to  the  log,  when,  oh,  hor- 
ror !  the  warning  rattle  of  a  snake  sounded  like  a 
death -knell  in  my  ears,  proceeding  from  the  log  I  was 
about  to  lay  hold  of.  I  was  so  much  frightened  by 
the  sound,  that  I  dropped  the  chain  as  though  it  were 
red  hot,  left  my  team,  and  ran  with  all  the  speed  in 


94  HIRED  OUT  TO  A  NEW   MASTER. 

my  power,  screaming  "murder,  murder !"  as  loud  as  I 
could. 

This  proceeding,  which,  was  the  fearful  impulse  of 
the  moment,  offended  Eobinson,  and  gave  him  another 
opportunity  to  beat  me  most  cruelly.  He  was  him- 
self as  much  afraid  of  rattle-snakes  as  I ;  but  he 
was  the  master  and  I  the  "  slave  boy,"  which  made  a 
vast  difference.  He  caught  hold  of  me,  and,  with 
horrid  oaths,  beat  me  with  his  fist  again  and  again ; 
threatening  me  with  awful,  punishment  if  I  did  not 
instantly  return  and  bring  the  log  to  the  desired  spot. 
I  never  can  forget  the  mortal  agony  I  was  in,  while 
compelled  by  his  kicks  and  blows  to  return  and  fasten 
the  chain  around  the  log  containing  the  deadly  ser- 
pent. I,  however,  succeeded  with  trembling  hands, 
and  drove  the  oxen,  but  keeping  myself  at  the  far- 
therest  possible  distance  from  them  and  the  log. 
When  I  finally  arrived  at  the  pile,  Mr.  Eobinson  and 
some  other  men,  cut  a  hole  with  an  ax  in  the  log,  and 
killed  the  large,  venomous  rattle-snake  that  had  occa- 
sioned me  so  much  alarm  and  such  a  cruel  beating. 
Nor  was  the  uncontrolable  and  brutal  passion  of  Ro- 
binson his  only  deficiency ;  he  was  mean  as  he  was 
brutal. 

He  had,  at  one  time,  borrowed  a  wagon  of  a  neigh- 
bor living  two  miles  distant,  through  a  dense  forest. 
On  the  day  of  the  total  eclipse  of  the  sun,  it  entered 
his    head    that    it    would    be    fine    sport,   knowing 


A  HEARTLESS  MAN.  ^5 

my  ignorance  and  superstition,  to  send  me,  just  as 
the  darkness  was  coming  on,  to  return  the  borrowed 
wagon.  I  accordingly  hitched  the  ox-team  to  it  and 
started.  As  I  proceeded  through  the  wood,  I  saw, 
with  astonishment  and  some  alarm,  that  it  was  grow- 
ing very  dark,  and  thought  it  singular  at  that  hour  of 
the  day.  When  I  reached  the  place  of  my  destination 
it  was  almost  total  darkness,  and  some  persons,  igno- 
rant as  myself,  were  running  about,  wringing  their 
hands,  and  declaring  that  they  believed  the  Day  of 
Judgment  had  come,  and  such  like  expressions. 

The  effect  of  all  this  was,  however,  yerj  different 
from  what  my  master  had  expected.  I  thought, 
of  course,  if  the  judgment  day  had  come,  I  should 
be  no  longer  a  slave  in  the  power  of  a  heartless 
tyrant.  I  recollect  well  of  thinking,  that  if  indeed  all 
things  earthly  were  coming  to  an  end,  I  should  be 
free  from  Kobinson's  brutal  force,  and  as  to  meeting 
my  Creator,  I  felt  far  less  dread  of  that  than  of  meet- 
ing my  cross,  unmerciful  master.  I  felt  that,  sinful  as 
I  had  been,  and  unworthy  as  I  was,  I  should  be  far 
better  off  than  I  then  was ;  driven  to  labor  all  day, 
without  compensation  ;  half  starved  and  poorly  clad, 
and  above  all,  subjected  to  the  whims  and  caprices  of 
any  heartless  tyrant  to  whom  my  master  might  give 
the  power  to  rule  over  me.  But  I  had  not  much  time 
for-  reflection,  I  hurried  home ;  my  mind  filled  with 
the  calm  anticipation  that  the  end  of  all  things  was  at 


9(5  HIRED   OUT  TO   A  NEW   MASTER. 

hand ;  which,  greatly  disappointed  my  expectant  mas- 
ter, who  was  looking  for  me  to  return  in  a  great  fright, 
making  some  very  ludicrous  demonstration  of  fear  and 
alarmt  But  after  a  few  months  more  of  hardship  I 
was  permitted  to  return  to  Capt.  Helm's,  where  I  was 
treated  much  better  than  at  Robinson's,  and  much 
better  than  the  Captain  used  to  treat  his  slaves. 

Capt.  Helm,  not  having  demand  for  slave  labor  as 
much  as  formerly,  was  in  the  practice  of  hiring  out 
his  slaves  to  different  persons,  both  in  and  out  of  the 
village  ;  and  among  others,  my  only  sister  was  hired 
out  to  a  professed  gentleman  living  in  Bath.  She  had 
become  the  mother  of  two  or  three  children,  and  was 
considered  a  good  servant. 

One  pleasant  Sabbath  morning,  as  I  was  passing  the 
house  where  she  lived,  on  my  way  to  the  Presbyterian 
church,  where  I  was  sent  to  ring  the  bell  as  usual,  I 
heard  the  most  piteous  cries  and  earnest  pleadings 
issuing  from  the  dwelling.  To  my  horror  and  the 
astonishment  of  those  with  me,  my  poor  sister  made  her 
appearance,  weeping  bitterly,  and  followed  by  her 
inhuman  master,  who  was  polluting  the  air  of  that 
clear  Sabbath  morning,  with  the  most  horrid  impreca- 
tions and  threatenings,  and  at  the  same  time  flourish- 
ing a  large  raw-hide.  Yery  soon  his  bottled  wrath 
burst  forth,  and  the  blows,  aimed  with  all  his  strength, 
descended  upon  the  unprotected  head,  shoulders  and 
back  of  the  helpless  woman,  until  she  was  literally  cut 


MY  SISTER    INHUMANLY   FLOGGED.  97 

to  pieces.  She  writhed  in  his  powerful  grasp,  while 
shriek  after  shriek  died  away  in  heart-rending  moan- 
ings ;  and  yet  the  inhuman  demon  continued  to  beat 
her,  though  her  pleading  cries  had  ceased,  until 
obliged  to  desist  from  the  exhaustion  of  his  own 
strength. 

What  a  spectacle  was  that,  for  the  sight  of  a  bro- 
ther ?  The  God  of  heaven  only  knows  the  conflict  of 
feeling  I  then  endured ;  He  alone  witnessed  the  tumult 
of  my  heart,  at  this  outrage  of  manhood  and  kindred 
affection.  Grod  knows  that  my  will  was  good  enough 
to  have  wrung  his  neck ;  or  to  have  drained  from 
his  heartless  system  its  last  drop  of  blood !  And  yet  I 
was  obliged  to  turn  a  deaf  ear  to  her  cries  for  assist- 
ance, which  to  this  day  ring  in  my  ears.  Strong  and 
athletic  as  I  was,  no  hand  of  mine  could  be  raised  in 
her  defence,  but  at  the  peril  of  both  our  lives ; — nor 
could  her  husband,  had  he  been  a  witness  of  the  scene, 
be  allowed  any  thing  more  than  unresisting  submis- 
sion to  any  cruelty,  any  indignity  which  the  master 
saw  fit  to  inflict  on  his  wife,  but  the  other's  slave. 

Does  any  indignant  reader  feel  that  I  was  wanting 
in  courage  or  brotherly  affection,  and  say  that  he 
would  have  interfered,  and,  at  all  hazards,  rescued  his 
sister  from  the  power  of  her  master ;  let  him  remem- 
ber that  he  is  a  freeman;  that  he  has  not  from  his 
infancy  been  taught  to  cower  beneath  the  white  man's 
frown,  and  bow  at  his  baddingr  or  suffer  all  the  rigor 
E 


98  HIKED   OUT  TO  A  NEW  MASTER. 

of  the  slave  laws.  Had  the  gentlemanly  woman- 
whipper  been  seen  beating  bis  horse,  or  his  ox,  in  the 
manner  he  beat  my  poor  sister,  and  that  too  for  no 
fault  which  the  law  could  recognize  as  an  offence,  he 
would  have  been  complained  of  most  likely ;  but  as  it 
was,  she  was  but  a  "slave  girl," — with  whom  the 
slave  law  allowed  her  master  to  do  what  be  pleased. 

Well,  I  finally  passed  on,  with  a  clinched  fist  and 
contracted  brow,  to  the  cburch,  and  rung  the  bell, 
I  think  rather  furiously,  to  notify  the  inhabitants  of 
Bath,  that  it  was  time  to  assemble  for  the  worship  of 
that  God  who  lias  declared  himself  to  be  "  no  respec- 
ter of  persons."  "With  my  own  heart  beating  wildly 
with  indignation  and  sorrow,  the  kind  reader  may 
imagine  my  feelings  when  I  saw  the  smooth-faced 
hypocrite,  the  inhuman  slave-whipper,  enter  the  church, 
pass  quietly  on  to  his  accustomed  seat,  and  then 
meekly  bow  his  hypocritical  face  on  the  damask 
cushion,  in  the  reverent  acknowledgment  of  that  reli- 
gion which  teaches  its  adherents  "to  do  unto  others 
as  they  would  be  done  by,"  just  as  if  nothing 
unusual  had  happened  on  that  Sabbath  morning. 
Can  any  one  wonder  that  I,  and  other  slaves,  often 
doubted  the  sincerity  of  every  white  man's  religion  ? 
Can  it  be  a  matter  of  astonishment,  that  slaves  often 
feel  that  there  is  no  just  God  for  the  poor  African? 
Nay,  verily ;  and  were  it  not  for  the  comforting  and 
sustaining  influence  that  these  poor,  illiterate  and  suf- 


CAPT.   HELM  SELLS  AUNT  BETSEY.  99 

fering  creatures  feel  as  coming  from  an  unearthly 
source,  they  would  in  their  ignorance  all  become  infi- 
dels. To  me,  that  beautiful  Sabbath  morning  was 
clouded  in  midnight  darkness,  and  I  retired  to  ponder 
on  what  could  be  done. 

For  some  reason  or  other,  Capt.  Helm  had  supplied 
every  lawyer  in  that  section  of  country  with  slaves, 
either  by  purchase  or  hire ;  so  when  I  thought  of  seek- 
ing legal  redress  for  my  poor,  mangled  sister,  I  saw  a1 
once  it  would  be  all  in  vain.  The  laws  were  in  favoi 
of  the  slave  owner,  and  besides,  every  legal  gentleman 
in  the  village  had  one  or  more  of  the  Captain's  slaves, 
who  were  treated  with  more  or  less  rigor ;  and  of  course 
they  would  do  nothing  toward  censuring  one  of  their 
own  number,  so  nothing  could  be  done  to  give  the 
slave  even  the  few  privileges  which  the  laws  of  the 
State  allowed  them. 

The  Captain  sold  my  aunt  Betsy  Bristol  to  a  distin- 
guished lawyer  in  the  village,  retaining  her  husband, 
Aaron  Bristol,  in  his  own  employ;  and  two  of  her 
children  he  sold  to  another  legal  gentleman  named 
Cruger.  One  day  Captain  Helm  came  out  where 
the  slaves  were  at  work,  and  finding  Aaron  was  not 
there,  he  fell  into  a  great  rage  and  swore  terribly.  He 
finally  started  off  to  a  beach  tree,  from  which  he  cut 
a  stout  limb,  and  trimmed  it  so  as  to  leave  a  knot  on 
the  but  end  of  the  stick,  or  bludgeon  rather,  which 
was  about  two  and  a  half  feet  in  length.     With  this 


100  HIKED  OUT  TO  A  NEW  MASTER. 

formidable  weapon  he  started  for  Aaron's  lonely  cabin. 
When  the  solitary  husband  saw  him  coming  he  sus- 
pected that  he  was  angry,  and  went  forth  to  meet  him 
in  the  street.  They  had  no  sooner  met  than  my  mas- 
ter seized  Aaron  by  the  collar,  and  taking  the  limb  he 
had  prepared  by  the  smaller  end,  commenced  beating 
him  with  it,  over  the  head  and  face,  and  struck  him 
some  thirty  or  more  terrible  blows  in  quick  succession ; 
after  which  Aaron  begged  to  know  for  what  he  was 
so  unmercifully  flogged. 

"Because  you  deserve  it,"  was  the  angry  reply. 
Aaron  said  that  he  had  ever  endeavored  to  discharge 
his  duty,  and  had  done  so  to  the  best  of  his  ability; 
and  that  he  thought  it  very  hard  to  be  treated  in  that 
manner  for  no  offence  at  all.  Capt.  Helm  was  aston- 
ished at  his  audacity ;  but  the  reader  will  perceive 
that  the  slaves  were  not  blind  to  the  political  condition 
of  the  country,  and  were  beginning  to  feel  that  they 
had  some  rights,  and  meant  to  claim  them. 

Poor  Aaron's  face  and  head,  however,  was  left  in  a 
pitiable  condition  after  such  a  pummelling  with  a 
knotty  stick.  His  face,  covered  with  blood,  was  so 
swollen  that  he  could  hardly  see  for  some  time ;  but 
what  of  that  ?  Did  he  not  belong  to  Capt.  Helm,  soul 
and  body ;  and  if  his  brutal  owner  chose  to  destroy  his 
own  property,  certainly  had  he  not  a  right  to  do  so, 
without  let  or  hindrance?  Of  course;  such  is  the 
power  that  Slavery  gives  one  human  being  over 
another. 


SLAVES  PROUD  OF  THEIR  MASTERS    WEALTH.      101 

And  yet  it  must  be  confessed  that  among  the  poor, 
degraded  and  ignorant  slaves  there  exists  a  foolish 
pride,  which  loves  to  boast  of  their  master's  wealth 
and  influence.  A  white  person,  too  poor  to  own 
slaves,  is  as  often  looked  upon  with  as  much  disdain 
b y  the  miserable  slave  as  by  his  wealthy  owner. 
This  disposition  seems  to  be  instilled  into  the  mind  of 
every  slave  at  the  South,  and  indeed,  I  have  heard 
slaves  object  to  being  sent  in  very  small  companies  to 
labor  in  the  field,  lest  that  some  passer-by  should 
think  that  they  belonged  to  a  poor  man,  who  was 
unable  to  keep  a  large  gang.  Nor  is  this  ridiculous 
sentiment  maintained  by  the  slaves  only ;  the  rich 
planter  feels  such  a  contempt  for  all  white  persons 
without  slaves,  that  he  does  not  want  them  for  his 
neighbors.  I  know  of  many  instances  where  such 
persons  have  been  under  the  necessity  of  buying  or 
hiring  slaves,  just  to  preserve  their  reputation  and 
keep  up  appearances  ;  and  even  among  a  class  of  peo- 
ple who  profess  to  be  opposed  to  Slavery,  have  I 
known  instances  of  the  same  kind,  and  have  heard 
them  apologize  for  their  conduct  by  saying  that 
"  when  in  Eome,  we  must  do  as  the  Romans  do." 

Uncle  Aaron  Bristol  was  one  of  Capt.  Helm's  slaves 
who  had  a  large  amount  of  this  miserable  pride  ;  and 
for  him  to  be  associated  with  a  white  man  in  the  same 
humble  occupation,  seemed  to  give  him  ideas  of  great 
superiority,  and  full  liberty  to  treat  him  with  all  the 


102  HIRED  OUT  TO  A  NEW    MASTER, 

scorn  and  sarcasm  lie  was  capable  of,  in  which  my 
uncle  was  by  no  means  deficient. 

At  this  time  the  Captain  owned  a  fine  and  valuable 
horse,  by  the  name  of  Speculator.  This  horse, 
groomed  by  uncle  Aaron,  stood  sometimes  at  Bath 
and  sometimes  at  Geneva;  and  at  the  latter  village 
another  horse  was  kept,  groomed  by  a  white  man. 
The  white  groom  was  not  very  well  pleased  with 
Aaron's  continual  disparagement  of  the  clumsy  animal 
which  my  uncle  called  "  a  great,  awkward  plow- 
horse;"  and  then  he  would  fling  out  some  of  his 
proud  nonsense  about  u  poor  white  people  who  were 
obliged  to  groom  their  own  old  dumpy  horses,"  &c. 

Well,  things  went  on  in  this  unpleasant  manner  for 
several  weeks,  when  at  last  the  white  groom  and 
Aaron  met  at  Greneva,  and  the  horse  belonging  to  the 
former,  designedly  or  accidentally,  escaped  from  his 
keeper,  and  came  with  full  speed,  with  his  mouth 
wide  open,  after  Speculator.  When  the  fiery  fellow 
had  overtaken  uncle  Aaron  he  attempted  to  grasp  the 
wethers  of  Speculator  with  his  teeth,  instead  of  which 
he  caught  Aaron  on  the  inside  of  his  thigh,  near  the 
groin,  from  whence  he  bit  a  large  piece  of  flesh,  laying 
the  bone  entirely  bare ;  at  the  same  moment  flinging 
Aaron  to  the  ground,  some  rods  off;  and  the  next 
instant  he  kicked  Speculator  down  a  steep  embank- 
ment. Aaron  was  taken  up  for  dead,  and  Dr.  Henry 
sent  for,  who  dressed  his  wounds ;    and  after  several 


UNCLE   AARON  TAKES   "FRENCH  LEAVE.''        103 

months'  confinement  he  finally  recovered.  It  is  pro- 
bable that  the  biting  and  overthrow  of  Aaron  saved 
his  life,  as  he  must  have  otherwise  been  killed  in  the 
encounter  of  the  two  horses. 

A  while  after  his  recovery,  uncle  Aaron  succeeded 
in  procuring  a  team  and  some  kind  of  vehicle,  in 
which  he  put  his  wife  and  children,  and  between  two 
days,  took  "  French  leave"  of  his  master  as  well  as  of 
the  lawyer  to  whom  his  wife  belonged. 

The  lawyer,  however,  was  far  from  being  pleased 
when  he  missed  his  property,  and  immediately  set  his 
wits  to  work  to  reclaim  her.  All  was  kept  secret  as 
possible,  but  it  was  whispered  about  that  it  was  to  be 
done  by  a  State's  warrant,  for  removing  the  clothing 
and  furniture  they  had  taken,  and  so,  being  thus 
arrested,  "  Madam  Bristol"  would  be  glad  to  return  to 
her  work  in  the  lawyer's  kitchen.  But  Aaron  was  a 
smart,  shrewd  man,  and  kept  out  of  their  reach,  where 
he  soon  found  friends  and  employment,  and  could  go 
where  he  pleased,  without  having  an  infuriated  master 
to  beat  and  disfigure  him  with  a  knotted  stick,  until 
his  clothes  were  bespattered  with  blood.  They  appre- 
ciated their  liberty,  and  lived  and  died  in  peace  and 
freedom. 

Capt.  Helm  continued  his  old  manner  of  treating 
slaves,  dealing  out  their  weekly  allowance  of  corn  or 
meal ;  but  living  as  we  now  did,  so  much  more  inti- 
mately with  white  inhabitants,  our  condition  was  mate- 


104  HIRED   OUT  TO  A  NEW   MASTER. 

rially  improved.  The  slaves  became  more  refined  in 
manners  and  in  possession  of  far  greater  opportunities 
to  provide  for  themselves,  than  they  had  ever  before 
enjoyed,  and  yet  it  was  Slavery.  Any  reverse  in  the 
fortunes  of  onr  master  would  be  disadvantageous  to 
us.  Oh,  how  this  fearful  uncertainty  weighed  upon 
us  as  we  saw  that  our  master  was  not  prospering  and 
increasing  in  wealth  ;  but  we  had  not  the  dismal  fears 
of  the  loathsome  slave-pen,  rice  swamps,  and  many 
other  things  we  should  have  to  fear  in  Virginia.  "We 
were  still  slaves,  and  yet  we  had  so  much  greater  chance 
to  learn  from  the  kind,  intelligent  people  about  us,  so 
many  things  which  we  never  knew  before,  that  I 
think  a  slave-trader  would  have  found  it  a  difficult 
task  to  take  any  one  of  us  to  a  Southern  slave  market, 
if  our  master  had  so  ordered  it. 

The  village  of  Bath  is  rather  an  out-of-the-way 
place,  hemmed  in  on  all  sides  by  mountains  of  consid- 
erable height,  leaving  an  opening  on  the  north, 
through  a  pleasant  valley,  to  the  head  of  Crooked 
Lake.  Produce  of  every  kind,  when  once  there,  met 
a  ready  sale  for  the  New  York  market. 

In  the  first  settlement  of  the  country  this  was  the 
only  outlet  for  the  country  produce,  which  was  trans- 
ported in  rude  boats  or  vessels  called  arles,  built  dur- 
ing the  winter  season  to  await  the  spring  freshet ;  then 
they  loaded  them  with  wheat  or  other  produce,  and 
sent  them  to  Baltimore  or  elsewhere.     They  used  also 


AN  ATTEMPT  TO  STAB  ME.  105 

to  obtain  great  quantities  of  fine  lumber,  and  floated 
it  through,  the  same  rivers  every  spring ;  but  it  was 
attended  with  great  loss  of  life  and  property. 

Bath  assumed  a  warlike  appearance  during  the  last 
war  with  Great  Britain;  the  public  square  was  dotted 
all  over  with  officers,  marquees,  and  soldiers'  tents. 
Some  of  these  soldiers  were  unprincipled  and  reckless 
men,  who  seemed  to  care  very  little  what  they  did. 

One  evening  I  was  walking  around  the  encampment 
in  company  with  a  Mr.  James  Morrison,  a  clerk  in 
the  land  office,  looking  at  the  soldiers,  until  we  came 
near  a  sentinel  on  duty.  He  kept  his  gun  to  his 
shoulder  until  we  came  near  enough,  and  then  he 
attempted  to  run  me  through  with  his  bayonet. 
Young  Morrison  sprang  forward,  and  seizing  the  mus- 
ket, told  me  to  run ;  I  did  so,  which  probably  saved 
my  life. 


E* 


CHAPTEK    XI 


THOUGHTS  ON  FREEDOM. 

AFTEK  living  sometime  in  Bath,  and  having  the 
privilege  of  more  enlightened  society,  I  began 
to  think  that  it  was  possible  for  me  to  become  a  free 
man  in  some  way  besides  going  into  the  army  or 
running  away,  as  I  had  often  thought  of  doing. 
I  had  listened  to  the  conversation  of  others,  and 
determined  to  ask  legal  counsel  on  the  subject  the 
first  opportunity  I  could  find.  Yery  soon  after,  as  I 
was  drawing  wood,  I  met  on  the  river  bridge,  Mr.  D. 
Cruger,  the  eminent  lawyer  before  mentioned,  and  I 
asked  him  to  tell  me  if  I  was  not  free,  by  the  laws  of 
New  York.  He  started,  and  looked  around  him  as  if 
afraid  to  answer  my  question,  but  after  a  while  told 
me  I  was  not  free.  I  passed  on,  but  the  answer  to  my 
question  by  no  means  satisfied  me,  especially  when  I 
remembered  the  hesitancy  with  which  it  was  given. 
[     I  sought  another  opportunity  to  speak  with  Mr. 


ADVISED   BY   THE   MANUMISSION   SOCIETY.      107 

Crager,  and  at  last  found  him  in  his  office  alone ;  then 
he  conversed  freely  on  the  subject  of  Slavery,  telling 
me  that  Capt.  Helm  could  not  hold  me  as  a  slave  in 
that  State,  if  I  chose  to  leave  him,  and  then  directed 
me  to  D.  Comstock  and  J.  Moore ;  the  first  being  at 
the  head  of  a  manumission  society,  and  the  last  named 
gentleman  one  of  its  directors. 

Our  condition,  as  I  have  said  before,  was  greatly 
improved ;  and  yet  the  more  we  knew  of  freedom  the 
more  we  desired  it,  and  the  less  willing  were  we  to 
remain  in  bondage.  The  slaves  that  Capt.  Helm  had 
sold  or  hired  out,  were  continually  leaving  him  and  the 
country,  for  a  place  of  freedom ;  and  I  determined  to 
become  my  own  possessor. 

There  is  no  one,  I  care  not  how  favorable  his  con- 
dition, who  desires  to  be  a  slave,  to  labor  for  nothing 
all  his  life  for  the  benefit  of  others.  I  have  often 
heard  fugitive  slaves  say,  that  it  was  not  so  much  the 
cruel  beatings  and  floggings  that  they  received  which 
induced  them  to  leave  the  South,  as  the  idea  of  drag- 
ging out  a  whole  life  of  unrequited  toil  to  enrich  their 
masters. 

Everywhere  that  Slavery  exists,  it  is  nothing  but 
slavery.  I  found  it  just  as  hard  to  be  beaten  over  the 
head  with  a  piece  of  iron  in  New  York  as  it  was  in  Vir- 
ginia. Whips  and  chains  are  everywhere  necessary  to 
degrade  and  brutalize  the  slave,  in  order  to  reduce 
him  to  that  abject  and  humble  state  which  Slavery 


108  THOUGHTS   ON   FREEDOM. 

requires.  Nor  is  the  effect  much  less  disastrous  on  the 
man  who  holds  supreme  control  over  the  soul  and 
body  of  his  fellow  beings.  Such  unlimited  power, 
in  almost  every  instance  transforms  the  man  into  a 
tyrant ;  the  brother  into  a  demon. 

When  the  first  of  our  persecuted  race  were  brought 
to  this  country  it  was  to  teach  them  to  reverence  the 
only  true  and  living  God ;  or  such  was  the  answer  of 
Her  Majesty  Queen  Elizabeth  of  England,  when  her 
subjects  desired  the  liberty  to  bring  from  their  native 
land  the  poor,  ignorant  African.  "Let  them,"  said  the 
Queen,  "be  brought  away  only  by  their  own  consent, 
otherwise  the  act  will  be  detestable,  and  bring  down 
the  vengeance  of  heaven  upon  us."  A  very  different 
position  truly,  from  the  one  assumed  at  the  present 
day  by  apologists  for  the  traffic  in  human  flesh.  But, 
to  return  to  myself. 

I  had  determined  to  make  an  effort  to  own  myself, 
and  as  a  preliminary  step,  I  obtained  permission  of 
Capt.  Helm  to  visit  some  friends  living  in  Canandaigua 
and  Geneva.  This  was  in  the  winter  of  1814.  I 
went  first  to  Geneva;  from  there  to  Canandaigua. 
Eetween  the  two  villages  I  met  a  company  of  United 
States'  troops,  returning  from  Buffalo,  where  they  had 
been  to  repel  an  invasion  of  the  British. 

The  two  villages  above  named,  were  small  but  very 
pretty,  having  been  laid  out  with  taste  and  great  care. 
Some  wealthy  and  enterprising  gentlemen  had  come 


TOLD  THE  STORY  OF  MY  WRONGS.  109 

from  the  East  into  this  great  Western  country,  who 
were  making  every  improvement  in  their  power.  The 
dense  forest  had  long  since  fallen  under  the  stroke  of 
the  woodman's  ax,  and  in  that  section,  flourishing 
villages  were  springing  up  as  if  by' magic,  where  so 
lately  roamed  wild  "beasts  and  rude  savages,  both 
having  fallen  back  before  the  march  of  civilization. 

I  called  on  James  Moore,  as  directed  by  Mr.  Cruger, 
and  found  he  was  one  of  the  directors  of  the  "  Manu- 
mission Society,"  as  it  was  then  called.  This  was  an 
association  of  humane  and  intelligent  gentlemen 
whose  object  it  was  to  aid  any  one  who  was  illegally 
held  in  bondage.  The  funds  of  the  society  were 
ample ;  and  able  counsel  was  employed  to  assist  those 
who  needed  it.  The  late  lamented  John  C.  Spencer, 
one  of  the* most  eminent  lawyers  in  Western  New 
York,  was  then  counsel  for  that  society. 

I  soon  got  an  interview  with  Mr.  Moore,  to  whom  I 
related  the  history  of  my  life, — the  story  of  my 
wrongs  and  hardships.  I  told  him  about  my  having 
been  hired  out  by  Capt.  Helm,  which  he  said  was 
sufficient  to  insure  my  freedom !  Oh !  how  my  heart 
leaped  at  the  thought !  The  tears  started,  my  breast 
heaved  with  a  mighty  throb  of  gratitude,  and  I  could 
hardly  refrain  from  grasping  his  hand  or  falling  down 
at  his  feet;  and  perhaps  should  have  made  some 
ludicrous  demonstration  of  my  feelings,  had  not  the 
kind  gentleman  continued  his  conversation  in  another 
direction. 


110  THOUGHTS   ON  FREEDOM. 

He  said  that  indispensable  business  called  him  to 
Albany,  where  he  must  go  immediately,  but  assured 
me  that  he  would  return  in  March  following ;  then  I 
must  come  to  him  and  he  would  see  that  I  had  what 
justly  belonged  to  me — my  freedom  from  Slavery. 
He  advised  me  to  return  to  Bajh  and  go  on  with  my 
work  as  usual  until  March,  but  to  say  nothing  of  my 
intentions  and  prospects.  I  returned  according  to  his 
directions,  with  a  heart  so  light,  that  I  could  not 
realize  that  my  bonds  were  not  yet  broken,  nor  the 
yoke  removed  from  off  my  neck.  I  was  already  free 
in  spirit,  and  I  silently  exulted  in  the  bright  prospect 
of  liberty. 

Could  my  master  have  felt  what  it  was  to  be  relieved 
of  such  a  crushing  weight,  as  the  one  which  was  but 
partially  lifted  from  my  mind,  he  would  have  been  a 
happier  man  than  he  had  been  for  a  long  time. 

I  went  cheerfully  back  to  my  labor,  and  worked 
with  alacrity,  impatient  only  for  March  to  come;  and 
as  the  time  drew  near  I  began  to  consider  what  kind 
of  an  excuse  I  could  make  to  get  away.  I  could 
think  of  none,  but  I  determined  to  go  without  one, 
rather  than  to  remain. 

Just  before  the  time  appointed  for  me  to  meet 
Mr.  Moore,  a  slave  girl  named  Milly,  came  secretly  to 
Bath.  She  had  been  one  of  Capt.  Helm's  slaves,  and 
he  had  a  while  before  sold  her  to  a  man  who  lived 
some  distance  west  of  the  village.      Milly  had  now 


SLAVE  GIRL  MILLY  RUNS  AWAY.  Ill 

taken  the  matter  into  her  own  hands.  She  had  left 
her  master  to  take  care  of  himself,  and  was  in  short, 
"running  away,"  determined  as  myself,  that  she 
would  be  a  slave  no  longer;  resolved  on  death,  or 
freedom  from  the  power  of  the  slaveholder. 

The  time  I  had  set  for  my  departure  was  so  near  at 
hand,  that  I  concluded  to  accompany  her  in  her  flight. 
When  the  dark  night  came  on,  we  started  together, 
and  traveled  all  night,  and  just  as  the  day  dawned 
we  arrived  at  Manchester,  where  we  stopped  a  short 
time  with  one  Thomas  "Watkins. 

But  I  was  not  to  be  let  go  so  easily.  I  had  been 
missed  at  Capt.  Helm's,  and  several  men  started  in 
immediate  pursuit.  I  was  weary,  and  so  intent  on 
getting  a  little  rest  that  I  did  not  see  my  pursuers 
until  they  had  well  nigh  reached  the  house  where  I 
was ;  but  I  did  see  them  in  time  to  spring  from  the 
house  with  the  agility  of  a  deer,  and  to  run  for  the 
woods  as  for  life.  And  indeed,  I  so  considered  it.  I 
was  unarmed  to  be  sure,  and  not  prepared  to  defend 
myself  against  two  or  three  men,  armed  to  the  teeth ; 
but  it  would  have  gone  hard  with  me  before  I  surren- 
dered myself  to  them,  after  having  dreamed  as  I 
had,  and  anticipated  the  blessings  of  a  free  man.  I 
escaped  them,  thank  God,  and  reached  the  woods, 
where  I  concealed  myself  for  some  time,  and  where  I 
had  ample  opportunity  to  reflect  on  the  injustice  and 
cruelty  of  my  oppressors,  and  to  ask  myself  why  it 


112  THOUGHTS   ON   FREEDOM. 

was  that  I  was  obliged  to  fly  from  my  home.  Why 
was  I  there  panting  and  weary,  hungry  and  destitute — 
skulking  in  the  woods  like  a  thief,  and  concealing 
myself  like  a  murderer?  What  had  I  done?  For 
what  fault,  or  for  what  crime  was  I  pursued  by  armed 
men,  and  hunted  like  a  beast  of  prey?  God  only 
knows  how  these  inquiries  harrowed  up  my  very  soul, 
and  made  me  well  nigh  doubt  the  justice  and  mercy 
of  the  Almighty,  until  I  remembered  my  narrow 
escape,  when  my  doubts  dissolved  in  grateful  tears. 

But  why,  oh  why,  had  I  been  forced  to  flee  thus 
from  my  fellow  men?  I  was  guilty  of  no  crime;  I 
had  committed  no  violence  ;  I  had  broken  no  law  of 
the  land ;  I  was  not  charged  even  with  a  fault,  except 
of  the  love  of  liberty  and  a  desire  to  be  free !  I  had 
claimed  the  right  to  possess  my  own  person,  and 
remove  it  from  oppression.  Oh  my  God,  thought  I, 
can  the  American  People,  who  at  this  very  hour  are 
pouring  out  their  blood  in  defence  of  their  country's 
liberty;  offering  up  as  a  sacrifice  on  the  battle  field 
their  promising  young  men,  to  preserve  their  land  and 
hearthstones  from  English  oppression ;  can  they, 
will  they,  continue  to  hunt  the  poor  African  slave 
from  their  soil  because  he  desires  that  same  liberty,  so 
dear  to  the  heart  of  every  American  citizen  ?  Will 
they  not  blot  out  from  their  fair  escutcheon  the  foul 
stain  which  Slavery  has  cast  upon  it  ?  Will  they  not 
remember  the  Southern  bondman,  in  whom  the  love 


MADE   MY   ESCAPE,    BUT   WAS  PURSUED.         113 

of  freedom  is  as  inherent  as  in  themselves ;  and  will 
they  not,  when  contending  for  equal  rights,  use  their 
mighty  forces  "to  break  every  yoke,  and  let  the 
oppressed  go  free  ?  "     Cod  grant  that  it  may  be  so ! 

As  soon  as  I  thought  it  prudent,  I  pursued  my 
journey,  and  finally  came  out  into  the  open  country, 
near  the  dwelling  of  Mr.  Dennis  Comstock,  who,  as  I 
have  said,  was  president  of  the  Manumission  Society. 
To  him  I  freely  described  my  situation,  and  found 
him  a  friend  indeed.  He  expressed  his  readiness  to 
assist  me,  and  wrote  a  line  for  me  to  take  to  his 
brother,  Otis  Comstock,  who  took  me  into  his  family 
at  once.  I  hired  to  Mr.  Comstock  for  the  season,  and 
from  that  time  onward  lived  with  him  nearly  four 
years. 

When  I  arrived  there  I  was  about  twenty -two  years 
of  age,  and  felt  for  the  first  time  in  my  life,  that  I  was 
my  own  master.  I  cannot  describe  to  a  free  man,  what 
a  proud  manly  feeling  came  over  me  when  I  hired 
to  Mr.  C.  and  made  my  first  bargain,  nor  when  I 
assumed  the  dignity  of  collecting  my  own  earnings. 
Notwithstanding  I  was  very  happy  in  my  freedom 
from  Slavery,  and  had  a  good  home,  where  for  the 
first  time  in  my  life  I  was  allowed  to  sit  at  table  with 
others,  yet  I  found  myself  very  deficient  in  almost 
every  thing  which  I  should  have  learned  when  a  boy. 

These  and  other  recollections  of  the  past  often  sad- 
dened my  spirit ;  but  hope, — cheering  and  bright,  was 


114  THOUGHTS  ON  FREEDOM. 

now  mine,  and  it  lighted  np  the  future  and  gave  me 
patience  to  persevere. 

In  the  autumn  when  the  farm  work  was  done,  I 
called  on  Mr.  Comstock  for  some  money,  and  the  first 
thing  I  did  after  receiving  it  I  went  to  Canandaigua 
where  I  found  a  book-store  kept  by  a  man  named 
J.  D.  Bemis,  and  of  him  I  purchased  some  school 
books. 

No  king  on  his  throne  could  feel  prouder  or  grander 
than  I  did  that  day.  With  my  books  unde«r  my  arm, 
and  money  of  my  own  earning  in  my  pocket,  I  stepped 
loftily  along  toward  Farmington,  where  I  determined 
to  attend  the  Academy.  The  thought,  however,  that 
though  I  was  twenty-three  years  old,  I  had  yet  to 
learn  what  most  boys  of  eight  years  knew,  was  rather 
a  damper  on  my  spirits.  The  school  was  conducted 
by  Mr.  J.  Comstock,  who  was  a  pleasant  young  man 
and  an  excellent  teacher.  He  showed  me  every  kind- 
ness and  consideration  my  position  and  ignorance 
demanded;  and  I  attended  his  school  three  winters, 
with  pleasure  and  profit  to  myself  at  least. 

When  I  had  been  with  Mr.  Comstock  about  a  year, 
we  received  a  visit  from  my  old  master,  Capt.  Helm, 
who  had  spared  no  pains  to  find  me,  and  when  he 
learned  where  I  was  he  came  to  claim  me  as  "his 
boy,"  who,  he  said  he  "  wanted  and  must  have." 

Mr.  Comstock  told  him  I  was  not  "his  boy,"  and  as 
such  he  would  not  give  me  up ;  and  further,  that  I  was 


CAPT.   H.   SURRENDERS  ALL  CLAIM  TO  ME.      115 

free  by  the  laws  of  the  State.  He  assured  the  Captain 
that  his  hiring  me  out  in  the  first  instance,  to  Mr. 
Tower,  forfeited  his  claim  to  me,  and  gave  me  a  right 
to  freedem, — but  if  he  chose  to  join  issue,  they  would 
have  the  case  tried  in  the  Supreme  Court ;  but  this 
proposition  the  Captain  declined:  he  knew  well 
enough  that  it  would  result  in  my  favor ;  and  after 
some  flattery  and  coaxing,  he  left  me  with  my  friend, 
Mr.  Comstock,  in  liberty  and  peace  ! 


CHAPTEE    XII 


CAPT.   HELM — DIVORCE — KIDNAPPING. 

THE  business  affairs  of  Capt.  Helm  had  for  some 
time  been  far  from  prosperous ;  and  now  he  was 
quite  poor.  His  slave  property  proved  a  bad  invest- 
ment, and  Madam  Thornton  a  far  worse  one.  She 
had  already  applied  for  a  divorce,  and  a  good  share  of 
the  estate  as  alimony ;  both  of  which  she  succeeded  in 
getting,  the  Captain  allowing  her  to  take  pretty  much 
her  own  course.  These  troubles,  with  costs  of  law- 
suits, bad  management,  &c,  had  now  emptied  the 
coffers  of  my  old  master  almost  to  the  last  farthing ; 
and  he  began  to  cast  about  him  for  some  way  to 
replenish  his  purse,  and  retrieve  his  fallen  fortunes. 

Had  Capt.  Helm  been  brought  up  to  honorable 
industry,  and  accustomed  to  look  after  his  own  pecun- 
iary interests,  he  doubtless  would  have  sustained  his 
position ;  or  if  reverses  were  unadvoidable,  he  would 
have  by  persevering  industry,  regained  what  he  had 


CAPT.   HELM  BECOMES  A  KIDNAPPER.  117 

lost.  But  lie  had  been  raised  in  a  slave  State,  and 
Southern  principles  were  as  deeply  instilled  into  his 
mind,  as  Southern  manners  were  impressed  on  his  life 
and  conduct. 

He  had  no  partiality  for  labor  of  any  kind ;  horse- 
racing  and  card-playing  were  far  more  congenial  to  his 
tastes ;  reduced  as  he  now  was,  he  would  deny  himself 
no  luxury  that  his  means  or  credit  would  procure. 
His  few  remaining  slaves  were  given  into  the  hands 
of  an  idle,  brutal  overseer — while  they,  half  fed,  half 
clothed,  grew  more  and  more  discontented,  and  ran 
away  on  eveTj  opportunity  that  offered. 

The  Captain  at  last  hit  upon  a  method  of  making 
money,  which,  if  it  had  been  carried  into  operation  on 
the  high  seas,  would  in  all  probability  have  been 
called  by  its  right  name,  and  incurred  the  penalty  of 
the  gallows — as  piracy.  Ought  it  then  to  be  deemed 
less  criminal  because  transpiring  on  the  free  soil  of  the 
American  Republic  ?  I  think  not.  Nor  was  it  less 
censurable  on  account  .of  its  failure. 

The  Captain's  plan  was  to  collect  all  the  slaves 
he  had  once  owned,  many  of  whom  had  escaped 
to  the  surrounding  villages,  and  when  once  in  his 
grasp,  to  run  them  speedily  into  a  slave  State,  and 
there  sell  them  for  the  Southern  market.  To  carry 
forward  this  hellish  design,  it  was  necessary  to  have 
recourse  to  stratagem.  Some  person  must  be  found  to 
lure  the   unsuspecting  slaves  into  the  net  he   was 


118  CAPT.   flELM — DIVOECE — KIDNAPPING. 

spreading  for  them.  At  last  he  found  a  scoundrel 
named  Simon  Watkins,  who  for  the  consideration  of 
fifty  dollars,  was  to  collect  as  many  of  the  slaves  as  he 
could  at  one  place ;  and  when  he  had  done  so,  he  was 
to  receive  the  money,  leaving  Capt.  Helm  to  do  the 
rest. 

Simon  set  immediately  about  the  business,  which 
was  first  to  go  to  Palmyra,  and  in  great  kindness  and 
generosity,  give  a  large  party  to  the  colored  people, — 
desiring  that  all  Capt.  Helm's  former  slaves,  in  par- 
ticular, should  be  present  to  have  a  joyous  re-union, 
and  celebrate  their  freedom  in  having  a  fine  time 
generally. 

Invitations  were  sent  to  all,  and  extensive  prepar- 
ation made  for  a  large  "social  party,"  at  Palmyra,  at 
the  house  of  Mrs.  Bristol.  My  parents  were  invited ; 
and  Simon  took  the  pains  to  come  to  Farmington  to 
give  me  a  special  invitation.  When  the  time  arrived 
for  the  party,  I  went  to  Palmyra  with  the  intention 
of  attending.  I  had  not  the  least  suspicion  of  any 
thing  wrong ;  yet,  by  some  mysterious  providence,  or 
something  for  which  I  can  not  account,  a  presentiment 
took  possession  of  my  mind  that  all  was  not  right.  I 
knew  not  what  I  feared,  and  could  in  no  way  define 
my  apprehensions ;  but  I  grew  so  uneasy,  that  I 
finally  gave  up  the  party  and  returned  home,  before 
the  guests  were  assembled. 

Capt.  Helm  and  his  assistants  came  on  to  Palmyra 


FIGHT  BETWEEN  SLAVES  AND   KIDNAPPERS.    119 

in  disguise,  before  evening,  and  secreted  themselves  in 
one  of  the  hotels  to  await  the  arrival  of  their  victims. 

At  the  appointed  hour  the  slaves  began  to  assemble 
in  large  numbers  and  great  glee,  without  the  least 
suspicion  of  danger.  They  soon  began  their  amuse- 
ments, and  in  the  midst  of  their  mirth,  Capt.  Helm 
and  party  stealthily  crept  from  their  hiding  place  and 
surrounded  the  house ;  then  bursting  in  suddenly  upon 
the  revelers,  began  to  make  arrests.  Such  a  tumult, 
such  an  affray  as  ensued  would  be  hard  to  describe. 

The  slaves  fought  for  their  lives  and  their  liberty, 
and  the  Captain's  party  for  their  property  and  power. 
Fists,  clubs,  chairs,  and  any  thing  they  could  get  hold 
of,  was  freely  used  with  a  strength  and  will  of  men 
who  had  tasted  the  joys  of  freedom.  Cries  and  curses 
we^e  mingled,  while  blows  fell  like  hail  on  both  sides. 
Commands  from  our  old  master  were  met  with  shouts 
of  bold  defiance  on  the  part  of  the  negroes,  until 
the  miserable  kidnappers  were  glad  to  desist,  and 
were  driven  off — not  stealthily  as  they  came,  but  in 
quick  time  and  in  the  best  way  they  could,  to  escape 
the  threatened  vengeance  of  the  slaves,  who  drove 
them  like  "feathers  before  the  wind."  But  it  was 
a  terrible  battle  and  many  were  severely  wounded; 
among  them  was  my  father.  He  was  taken  to  his 
home,  mangled  and  bleeding,  and  from  the  effects  of 
that  night's  affray  he  never  recovered.  He  lingered 
on  in  feeble  health  until  death  finally  released  him 


120  CAPT.    HELM — DIVORCE — KIDNAPPING 

from  suffering,  and  placed  him  beyond  the  reach  of 
kidnappers  and  tyrants. 

The  Captain  and  his  party,  enraged  and  disap- 
pointed in  their  plans  at  Palmyra,  returned  to  Bath  to 
see  what  could  be  done  there  toward  success,  in  getting 
up  a  gang  of  slaves  for  the  Southern  market.  "When 
they  came  among  the  colored  people  of  Bath,  it  was 
like  a  hawk  alighting  among  a  flock  of  chickens  at 
noon-day.  They  scattered  and  ran  in  every  direction, 
some  to  the  woods,  some  hid  themselves  in  cellars, 
and  others  in  their  terror  plunged  into  the  Conhocton 
Biver.  In  this  manner  the  majority  of  the  negroes 
escaped,  but  not  all ;  and  those  were  so  unfortunate  as 
to  get  caught  were  instantly  thrown  into  a  large 
covered  "  Pennsylvania  wagon,"  and  hurried  off, 
closely  guarded,  to  Olean  Point.  Among  those  taken 
were  Harry  Lucas,  his  wife,  Lucinda,  and  seven 
children;  Mrs.  Jane  Cooper  and  four  children,  with 
some  others,  were  also  taken. 

When  Capt.  Helm  arrived  at  Olean  Point  with  his 
stolen  freight  of  human  beings,  he  was  unexpectedly 
detained  until  he  could  build  a  boat, — which,  to  his 
great  dismay  took  him  several  days. 

The  sorrow  and  fearful  apprehension  of  those 
wretched  recaptured  slaves  can  not  be  described  nor 
imagined  by  any  one  except  those  who  have  experi- 
enced a  like  affliction.  They  had  basked  for  a  short 
season  in  the  sunshine  of  liberty,  and  thought  them- 


RECAPTURED  SLAVES  RESIST.  121 

selves  secure  from  the  iron  grasp  of  Slavery,  and  the 
heel  of  the  oppressor,  when  in  the  height  of  their 
exultation,  they  had  been  thrust  down  to  the  lowest 
depths  of  misery  and  despair,  with  the.  oppressor's 
heel  again  upon  their  necks.  To  be  snatched  without 
a  moment's  warning  from  their  homes  and  friends, — 
hurried  and  crowded  into  the  close  slave  wagon, 
regardless  of  age  or  sex,  like  sheep  for  the  slaughter, 
to  be  carried  they  knew  not  whither ;  but,  doubtless 
to  the  dismal  rice  swamp  of  the  South, — was  to  them 
an  agony  too  great  for  endurance.  The  adult  portion 
of  the  miserable  company  determined  at  last  to  go  no 
farther  with  their  heartless  master,  but  to  resist  unto 
death  if  need  be,  before  they  surrendered  themselves 
to  the  galling  chains  they  had  so  recently  broken,  or 
writhed  again  under  the  torturing  lash  of  the  slave- 
driver. 

Harry  Lucas  and  wife,  and  Jane  Cooper,  silently 
prepared  themselves  for  the  conflict,  determined  to  sell 
their  lives  as  dearly  as  possible.  When  they  were 
nearly  ready  to  start,  Jane  Cooper  sent  her  oldest 
daughter  and  younger  sister,  (she  who  is  now  our 
worthy  friend  Mrs.  P.  of  Bath),  into  the  woods,  and 
then  when  the  men  undertook  to  get  Lucas  and  the 
two  women  on  board  the  boat  the  struggle  commenced. 
The  women  fought  the  Captain  and  his  confederates 
like  a  lioness  robbed  of  her  whelps !  They  ran  and 
dodged  about,  making  the  woods  ring  with  their 
F 


122  CAPT.    HELM — DIVORCE — KIDNAPPED. 

screams  and  shouts  of  "  Murder  !  Murder !  Help  ! 
Help  !  Murder !  "  until  the  Captain's  party,  seeing 
they  could  do  nothing  to  quell  them,  became  so 
exceedingly  alarmed  lest  they  should  be  detected  in 
their  illegal  proceedings,  that  they  ran  off  at  full 
speed,  as  if  they  thought  an  officer  at  their  heels. 
In  their  hurry  and  fright  they  caught  two  of  Harry's 
children,  and  throwing  them  into  the  boat,  pushed  off 
as  quick  as  possible,  amid  the  redoubled  cries  of  the 
agonized  parents  and  sympathizing  friends,  all  trying 
in  every  way  possible,  to  recover  from  the  merciless 
grasp  of  the  man-stealer,  the  two  frightened  and 
screaming  children.  Guns  were  fired  and  horns 
sounded,  but  all  to  no  purpose — they  held  tightly  the 
innocent  victims  of  their  cupidity,  and  made  good 
their  escape. 

Mr.  D.  C ,  a  gentleman  of  wealth  and  high 

standing  in  Steuben  County,  became  responsible  for 
the  fifty  dollars  which  Capt.  Helm  promised  to  pay 
Simon  Watkins  for  his  villany  in  betraying,  Judas-like, 
those  unsuspecting  persons  whom  it  should  have  been 
his  pleasure  to  protect  and  defend  against  their  com- 
mon oppressor, — his  own  as  well  as  theirs. 

In  addition  to  this  rascality,  it  can  not  appear  very 
creditable  to  the  citizens  of  Steuben  County,  that 
Capt.  Helm  and  Thomas  McBirney  should  both  hold 
high  and  important  officas  at  the  time,  and  after 
they  had  been  tried  and  convicted  of  the  crime  of 


CAPT.    HELM   CONVICTED   OF   KIDNAPPING.       123 

kidnapping.  Both  of  these  gentlemen,  guilty  of  a 
State's  prison  offence,  were  judges  of  the  common 
pleas.  T.  McBirney  was  first  judge  in  the  county, 
and  Capt.  Helm  was  side  judge;  and  notwithstanding 
their  participation  in,  and  conviction  of,  a  flagrant 
outrage  on  the  laws  of  God  and  man,  they  managed 
not  only  to  escape  the  penalty,  but  to  retain  their 
offices  and  their  respectable  standing  in  community 
for  years  after. 


CHAPTEE    XIII 


LOCATE  IN  THE  VILLAGE   OF  ROCHESTER. 

I  CONTINUED  to  labor  in  the  employ  of  Mr.  0. 
Comstock,  whose  son,  Zeno,  was  married  during 
the  year  1816,  and  purchased  a  farm  on  the  site  of  the 
present  flourishing  village  of  Lockport,  to  which  he 
moved  his  family  and  effects;  but  from  a  mistaken 
supposition  that  the  Erie  Canal,  which  was  then  under 
contemplation,  would  take  a  more  southern  route,  he 
was  induced  to  sell  his  farm  in  Hartland,  which  has 
proved  a  mine  of  wealth  to  the  more  fortunate  pur- 
chaser. 

In  the  winter  of  that  year,  I  was  sent  by  my  em- 
ployer to  Hartland  with  a  sleigh-load  of  produce,  and 
passed  through  the  village  of  Eochester,  which  I  had 
never  before  seen.  It  was  a  very  small,  forbidding 
looking  place  at  first  sight,  with  few  inhabitants,  and 
surrounded  by  a  dense  forest. 

I  recollect  that  while  pursuing  my  journey,  I  over- 


DEATH  OF  FATHER  IN  PALMYRA.      125 

took  a  white  man  driving  a  span  of  horses,  who  con- 
tended that  I  had  not  a  right  to  travel  the  public  high- 
way as  other  men  did,  but  that  it  was  my  place  to  keep 
behind  him  and  his  team.  Being  in  haste  I  endeavored 
to  pass  him  quietly,  but  he  would  not  permit  it  and 
hindered  me  several  hours,  very  much  to  my  annoy- 
ance and  indignation.  This  was,  however,  but  a  slight 
incident  indicating  the  bitter  prejudice  which  every 
man  seemed  to  feel  against  the  negro.  No  matter  how 
industrious  he  might  be,  no  matter  how  honorable  in 
his  dealings,  or  respectful  in  •  his  manners, — he  was  a 
"nigger,"  and  as  such  he  must  be  treated,  with  a 
few  honorable  exceptions. 

This  year  also,  my  father  died  in  the  village  of  Pal- 
myra, where,  as  I  have  before  mentioned,  he  received 
injuries  from  which  he  never  entirely  recovered. 
After  about  six  months  severe  illness  which  he  bore 
with  commendable  patience  and  resignation,  his  spirit 
returned  to  God  who  gave  it;  and  his  sorrowing 
friends  and  bereaved  family  followed  his  remains  to 
their  final  abode,  where  we  laid  him  down  to  rest 
from  unrequited  labor  and  dire  oppression,  until  "all 
they  who  are  in  their  graves  shall  hear  the  voice  of 
the  Son  of  Grod,  and  they  that  hear  shall  live  forever," 
where  the  "  tears  shall  be  wiped  from  off  all  faces" — ■ 
and  where  the  righteous  bondman  shall  no  longer  fear 
the  driver's  lash  or  master's  frown,  but  freely  join  in 
the  song  of  "Alleluia!  The  Lord  Grod  Omnipotent 
reigneth ! " 


126       LOCATE   IN  THE   VILLAGE   OF   ROCHESTER 

M  y  father  had  a  good  reputation  for  honesty  and 
uprightness  of  character  among  his  employers  and 
acquaintances,  and  was  a  kind,  affectionate  husband 
and  a  fond,  indulgent  parent.  His,  I  "believe  was  the 
life  and  death  of  a  good  man.  "  Peace  be  to  his 
ashes." 

The  following  season  I  commenced  a  new  business — 
that  of  peddling  in  the  village  of  Eochester  such 
articles  as  my  employer,  Mr.  Comstock,  desired  to  sell : 
the  products  of  his  farm, — wheat,  corn,  oats,  butter, 
cheese,  meat,  and  poultry — all  of  which  met  a  ready 
sale,  generally  for  cash  at  liberal  prices.  That  market 
was  then  but  little  known  to  the  generality  of  farmers, 
and  the  enterprising  gentlemen  of  that  place,  were 
desirous  of  encouraging  commerce  with  the  surround- 
ing country,  offered  every  encouragement  in  their 
power.  Hence,  we  found  it  a  profitable  business, 
which  I  continued  in  for  several  months. 

The  present  flourishing  city  of  Rochester  was  then, 
as  I  have  said,  but  a  village  in  its  infancy,  situated 
near  the  upper  falls  of  the  (xenesee  River,  and  about 
seven  miles  from  its  mouth.  Here,  some  time  pre- 
viously, three  gentlemen  from  Maryland  bought  a 
large  tract  of  land,  and  as  no  business  man  could  fail 
to  observe  and  appreciate  its  rare  advantages  they 
commenced  laying  out  a  village.  Sirs  Fitzhugh,  Car- 
roll, and  Rochester,  composed  the  company ;  but  the 
management  of  the  business  devolved  almost  wholly 


PEDDLE  PRODUCE  IN  ROCHESTER.       127 

on  Col.  Kochester,  whose  wealth,  enterprise,  and  intel- 
ligence well  qualified  him  for  the  undertaking ;  and 
as  it  had  been  assigned  him  to  cognominate  the  new 
yillage,  I  have  heard  it  said  that  he  jocularly  gave  his 
reason  for  selecting  its  present  title,  as  follows: 
"Should  he  call  it  Filzhuyh  or  Carroll,  the  slighted 
gentleman  would  certainly  feel  offended  with  the 
other;  but  if  he  called  it  by  his  own  name,  they  would 
most  likely  both  be  angry  with  him ;  so  it  was  best  to 
serve  them  alike." 

There  was  then  two  grist  mills, — one  owned  by  Mr. 
Ely,  and  the  other  by  Mr.  Brown ;  one  small  building 
for  religious  worship,  occupied  by  the  Presbyterians 
on  Carroll  street  (now  State  street) ;  and  but  two  stone 
buildings  within  what  now  comprises  that  beautiful 
city.  There  were  then  no  brick  buildings  at  all,  but 
business  was  good;  merchants  and  mechanics  from 
the  East  soon  began  to  settle  there  and  give  it  a  thriv- 
ing aspect. 

About  this  time  another  company  was  formed, 
whose  moving  spirit  was  Mr.  E.  Stone,  a  man  of 
worth  and  talent;  the  object  of  which  was  to  locate 
another  village  at  the  head  of  navigation  and  about 
half  way  between  the  mouth  of  the  river  and  Koches- 
ter, which  they  called  Carthage. 

The  company  commenced  building  and  improving 
the  place  so  rapidly,  that  many  who  came  to  purchase 
residences  and  business  stations  were  at  a  loss  to  decide 


128       LOCATE   IN  THE   VILLAGE   OF   ROCHESTER. 

■which  of  the  two  places  would  finally  become  the 
center  of  business.  It,  however,  was  soon  perceivable 
that  the  advantage  of  water  privileges,  stone,  and 
access  to  both,  was  greatly  in  favor  of  Eochester.  At 
Carthage  the  Genesee  is  narrow  and  its  banks  steep 
and  abrupt,  rising  in  many  places  three  hundred  feet 
above  the  bed  of  the  river,  which  of  course  render 
the  privileges  and  business  on  it  far  less  easy  of 
access  for  building  purposes.  I  may  have  occasion  to 
speak  hereafter  of  the  expensive  and  magnificent 
bridge  at  Carthage,  which  was  the  wonder  and  admir- 
ation of  the  times. 

The  following  year  I  concluded  to  go  into  business 
for  myself,  and  was  as  much  at  loss  as  others, 
whether  to  locate  at  Eochester  or  Carthage;  but 
after  considering  the  matter  in  all  its  bearings,  and 
closely  watching  the  progress  of  events,  my  choice 
preponderated  in  favor  of  Eochester,  and  to  that  place 
I  went,  designing  to  enter  into  business  on  my  own 
account. 

It  was  indeed  painful  to  my  feelings  to  leave  the 
home  and  family  of  Mr.  Comstock,  where  I  had 
experienced  so  much  real  comfort  and  happiness, 
where  I  had  ever  been  treated  with  uniform  kindness, 
where  resided  those  kind  friends  to  whom  I  felt  under 
the  greatest  obligation  for  the  freedom  and  quietude  1 
then  enjoyed,  as  well  as  for  the  little  knowledge  of 
business  and   of  the   world   that  I  then  possessed. 


MYSTERIOUS   DEATH.  129 

Thinking,  however,  that  I  could  better  my  condition, 
I  subdued,  as  well  as  I  could,  my  rising  emotions,  and 
after  sincerely  thanking  them  for  their  goodness  and 
favors — wishing  them  long  life  and  prosperity, — I  took 
my  departure  for  the  chosen  place  of  my  destination. 

Soon  after  I  left  Mr.  Comstock's,  that  gentleman 
sent  his  hired  man,  named  John  Cline,  to  Eochester 
with  a  wagon  load  of  produce  to  sell,  as  had  been  his 
custom  for  some  time.  In  vain  the  family  looked  for 
his  return  at  the  usual  hour  in  the  evening,  and  began 
to  wonder  what  had  detained  him ;  but  what  was  their 
horror  and  surprise  to  find,  when  they  arose  the  next 
morning,  the  horses  standing  at  the  door,  and  the  poor 
unfortunate  man  lying  in  the  wagon,  dead!  How 
long  they  had  been  there  nobody  knew ;  no  one  had 
heard  them  come  in;  and  how  the  man  had  been 
killed  was  a  matter  of  mere  conjecture.  The  coroner 
was  sent  for  and  an  inquest  held,  and  yet  it  was  diffi- 
cult to  solve  the  whole  mystery. 

The  most  probable  explanation  was,  that  he  was 
sitting  in  the  back  part  of  the  wagon,  and  fell  over  on 
^is  left  side,  striking  his  neck  on  the  edge  of  the 
wagon  box,  breaking  it  instantly. 

The  verdict  of  the  jury  was,  in  accordance  with 
these  facts,  "accidental  death,"  &c. 

"When  I  left  Mr.  Comstock's  I  had  acquired  quite  a 
knowledge  of  reading,  writing,  arithmetic,  and  had 
made  a  small  beginning  in  English  grammar. 


130       LOCATE   IN   THE   VILLAGE   OF   KOCHESTER. 

It  had  been  for  some  time  a  question  which  I  found 
hard  to  decide,  whether  or  not  I  should  pursue  my 
studies  as  I  had  done.  If  I  went  into  business  as  I 
contemplated,  I  knew  it  would  end  my  proficiency 
in  the  sciences;  and  yet  I  felt  a  desire  to  accumu- 
late more  of  the  wealth  that  perisheth.  Considering 
too  that  I  was  advancing  in  age,  and  had  no  means  of 
support  but  by  my  own  labor,  I  finally  concluded 
to  do  what  I  have  from  that  time  to  this  deep- 
ly regretted, — give  up  the  pursuit  of  an  education, 
and  turn  my  attention  wholly  to  business.  I 
do  not  regret  having  desired  a  competency,  nor  for 
having  labored  to  obtain  it,  but  I  do  regret  not  having 
spared  myself  sufficient  leisure  to  pursue  some  regular 
system  of  reading  and  study ;  to  have  cultivated  my 
mind  and  stored  it  with  useful  knowledge. 

Truly  has  it  been  said,  "knowledge  is  power." 
But  it  is  not  like  the  withering  curse  of  a  tyrant's 
power ;  not  like  the  degrading  and  brutalizing  power 
of  the  slave-driver's  lash,  chains,  and  thumb-screws; 
not  like  the  beastly,  demonical  power  of  rum,  nor  like 
the  brazen,  shameless  power  of  lust ;  but  a  power  that 
elevates  and  refines  the  intellect ;  directs  the  affections ; 
controls  unholy  passions ;  a  power  so  God-like  in  its 
character,  that  it  enables  its  possessor  to  feel  for  the 
oppressed  of  every  clime,  and  prepares  him  to  defend 
the  weak  and  down-trodden. 

What  but  ignorance  renders  the  poor  slave  so  weak 


ESTABLISH  A  MEAT  MARKET.  131 

and  inefficient  in  claiming  his  right  to  liberty,  and  the 
possession  of  his  own  being !  Nor  will  that  Grod  who 
is  "no  respecter  of  persons,"  hold  him  guiltless  who 
assumes  unlimited  control  over  his  fellow.  The  chain 
of  Slavery  which  fetters  every  slave  south  of  Mason 
and  Bison's  Line,  is  as  closely  linked  arounb  the  master 
as  the  slave.  The  time  has  passed  by  when  African 
blood  alone  is  enslaved.  In  Virginia  as  well  as  in 
some  other  slave  States,  there  is  as  much  European 
blood  in  the  veins  of  the  enslaved  as  there  is  African; 
and  the  increase  is  constantly  in  favor  of  the  white 
population.  This  fact  alone  speaks  volumes,  and 
should  remind  the  slave-breeding  Southerner  of  that 
fearful  retribution  which  must  sooner  or  later  over- 
take him. 

In  September,  1817,  I  commenced  business  in 
Eochester.  Having  rented  a  room  of  Mr.  A.  Wakely, 
I  established  a  meat  market,  which  was  supplied 
mostly  by  my  former  employer,  Mr.  Comstock,  and 
was  liberally  patronized  by  the  citizens ;  but  there  were 
butchers  in  the  village  who  appeared  to  be  unwilling 
that  I  should  have  any  share  in  public  patronage. 
Sometimes  they  tore  down  my  sign,  at  others  painted 
it  black,  and  so  continued  to  annoy  me  until  after  I 
had  one  of  their  number  arrested,  which  put  a  stop  to 
their  unmanly  proceedings. 

The  village  was  now  rapidly  increasing,  and  yet  the 
surrounding  country  was  mostly  a  wilderness.      Mr. 


132       LOCATE   IN  THE   VILLAGE   OF  ROCHESTER. 

E.  Stone,  who  then  owned  the  land  on  the  east  side  of 
the  river,  thought  his  farm  a  very  poor  one;  he, 
however,  commenced  clearing  it  in  the  midst  of  wild 
beasts  and  rattlesnakes,  both  of  which  were  abundant, 
and  in  a  few  years  was  richly  rewarded  for  his  labor, 
in  the  sale  of  village  lots,  which  commanded  high 
prices. 

In  the  summer  of  1818,  I  commenced  teaching 
a  Sabbath  School  for  the  neglected  children  of  our 
oppressed  race.  For  a  while  it  was  well  attended,  and 
I  hoped  to  be  able  to  benefit  in  some  measure  the  poor 
and  despised  colored  children,  but  the  parents  inter- 
ested themselves  very  little  in  the  undertaking,  and  it 
shortly  came  to  nought.  So  strong  was  the  prejudice 
then  existing  against  the  colored  people,  that  very  few 
of  the  negroes  seemed  to  have  any  courage  or  am- 
bition to  rise  from  the  abject  degradation  in  which  the 
estimation  of  the  white  man  had  placed  him. 

This  year,  also,  I  purchased  a  lot  of  land,  eighteen 
by  fifty  feet,  situated  on  Main  street,  for  which  I  was 
to  pay  five  hundred  dollars.  Having  secured  my 
land,  I  began  making  preparations  for  building,  and 
soon  had  a  good  two  story  dwelling  and  store,  into 
which  I  moved  my  effects,  and  commenced  a  more 
extensive  business. 

Some  disadvantage  as  well  as  sport  was  occasioned 
On  business, men,  who  resided  on  the  confines  of  On- 
tario i  ad  Genesee  Counties.     It  was  indeed  laughable 


QUEER  FREAKS  OF  POOR  DEBTORS.      133 

to  witness  the  races  and  maneuvering  of  parties  in 
those  days  when  men  were  imprisoned  for  debt.  If  a 
man  in  Ontario  County  had  a  suspicion  that  an  officer 
was  on  his  track,  he  had  only  to  step  oyer  the  line  into 
Grenesee,  to  be  beyond  the  power  of  an  officer's 
precept. 

A  great  deal  of  trouble  as  well  as  unpleasant  feeling 
was  engendered  by  the  exercise  of  that  law,  which 
allowed  the  creditor  so  great  advantage  over  the 
debtor.  This,  together  with  the  fact  that  very  many 
of  the  citizens  of  Eochester  were  men  of  small  means, 
the  more  wealthy  portion  felt  called  upon  to  protect 
their  interests,  by  forming  themselves  into  what  was 
called  a  "Shylock  Society,"  the  object  of  which  was 
to  obtain  a  list  of  all  the  names  of  persons  who  had 
been,  or  were  then,  on  "the  limits"  for  debt.  This 
list  of  names  was  printed,  and  each  member  of  the 
society  furnished  with  a  copy,  which  enabled  him  to 
decide  whether  or  not  to  trust  a  man  when  he  came  to 
trade.  The  formation  of  this  society  gave  rise  to 
another,  whose  members  pledged  themselves  to  have 
no  dealing  with  a  member  of  the  "  Shylock  Society," 
and  also  to  publish  all  defaulters  in  "high  life,"  which 
served  to  check  these  oppressive  measures  and  restore 
harmony. 

Among  others  who  came  to  settle  in  the  thriving 
village  of  Eochester,  was  a  colored  man  named  Daniel 
Furr,  who   came  from   the   East.     He  soon  became 


134      LOCATE   IN  THE   VILLAGE   OF   KOCHESTEK. 

acquainted  with  a  very  respectable  young  white  lady, 
of  good  family,  who  after  a  short  acquaintance 
appeared  to  be  perfectly  enamored  of  her  dusky 
swain;  and  notwithstanding  the  existing  prejudice, 
she  did  not  scruple  to  avow  her  affection  for  him, — 
a  devotion  which  appeared  to  be  as  sincerely  returned 
by  the  young  "Othello."  They  resolved  to  marry; 
but  to  this,  serious  objections  arose,  and  all  that  the 
lady's  family  and  friends  could  do  to  break  off  the 
match  was  done,  but  without  effect.  They  could, 
however,  prevail  on  no  one  to  perform  the  marriage 
ceremony  in  the  village,  and  finally  concluded  to  go  to 
a  magistrate  in  the  town  of  Brighton,  four  miles 
distant.  At  this  stage  of  the  proceedings  I  was 
appealed  to,  to  accompany  them.  I  took  the  matter 
into  consideration  and  came  to  the  conclusion  that  I 
could  take  no  active  part  in  the  affair,  nor  bear  any 
responsible  station  in  the  unpleasant  occurrence.  Is  it 
no  sin  in  the  sight  of  the  Almighty,  for  Southern 
gentlemen  (?)  to  mix  blood  and  amalgamate  the  races  ? 
And  if  allowed  to  them,  is  it  not  equally  justifiable 
when  the  commerce  is  prompted  by  affection  rather 
than  that  of  lust  and  force  ?  But  I  at  length  consented 
to  accompany  them,  after  learning  that  all  the  mischief 
was  already  done  that  could  be  feared,  and  that  the 
gallant  lover  desired  to  marry  the  lady  as  the  only 
atonement  he  could  make  for  the  loss  of  her  repu- 
tation. 


AN   UNFORTUNATE   MARRIAGE.  135 

"We  arrived  at  the  house  of  the  magistrate  about  one 
o'clock  at  night,  and  all  were  soundly  sleeping.  They 
were,  however,  aroused,  and  when  our  business  was 
made  known,  an  exciting  scene  followed.  The  magis- 
trate refused  at  first  to  marry  them ;  and  the  lady  of  the 
house  took  aside  the  intended  bride,  spending  two 
hours  in  endeavoring  to  dissuade  her  from  the  contem- 
plated union ;  assuring  her  that  her  house  should  be 
freely  opened  to  her,  that  no  attention  should  be 
spared  during  her  expected  confinement,  &c.;  but  all 
to  no  purpose.  They  returned  to  the  parlor  where  the 
magistrate  again  tried  his  power  of  persuasion,  but 
with  as  little  success  as  his  lady  had  met :  and  then  he 
reluctantly  married  them.  The  newly-made  husband 
paid  a  liberal  fee,  and  we  took  our  leave.  I  returned 
to  my  home  to  reflect  on  the  scenes  of  the  past  night, 
and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Furr  to  the  house  of  a  friend  of  the 
bride  in  Penfield. 

The  report  soon  reached  the  village  that  the  mar- 
riage had  been  consummated,  which  produced  a  great 
excitement.  Threats  of  an  alarming  character  were 
openly  made  against  the  "nigger"  who  had  dared  to 
marry  a  white  woman,  although  at  her  own  request. 
And  there  was  also  a  class  of  persons  who  associated 
together,  professing  great  friendship  for  the  persecuted 
husband,  and  often  drew  him  into  their  company,  pre- 
tending to  defend  his  cause  while  they  were  un- 
doubtedly plotting  his  destruction. 


136       LOCATE   IN  THE   VILLAGE   OF  KOCHESTEK. 

One  day,  after  Furr  had  been  drinking  rather  freely 
with  his  pretended  friends,  he  was  taken  so  violently 
ill,  that  a  physician  was  immediately  called.  I  was 
with  him  when  the  doctor  arrived.  He  gazed  upon 
the  suffering  man  with  an  angry  expression,  and 
inquired  in  a  tone  of  command,  "Daniel,  what  have 
you  been  doing  ?  "  In  vain  the  poor  creature  begged 
for  relief,  the  doctor  merely  repeating  his  question.' 
After  looking  at  him  for  some  time,  he  finally  admin- 
istered a  potion  and  hastily  left  the  room,  saying  as  he 
did  so,  "  that  Furr  was  as  sure  to  die  as  though  his 
head  had  been  cut  off."  And  so  it  proved,  though  not 
so  speedily  as  the  medical  man  had  predicted ;  nor  did 
he  ever  visit  him  again,  notwithstanding  he  lingered 
for  several  days  in  the  most  intense  agony.  It  was  a 
strong  man  grappling  with  disease  and  death,  and  the 
strife  was  a  fearful  one.  But  death  at  last  ended  the 
scene,  with  none  of  all  his  professed  friends,  except 
his  faithful  but  heart-broken  wife,  to  adm mister  to  his 
necessities.  No  sound  save  that  of  the  moaning 
widow  broke  the  stillness  of  his  death-chamber.  A 
few  friends  collected,  who  prepared  the  emaciated 
body  for  the  grave;  enclosing  it  in  a  rude  board 
coffin  it  was  conveyed  to  its  last  resting  place,  followed 
by  three  or  four  men,  just  as  the  shades  of  evening  had 
fallen  upon  this  sin-cursed  world ;  there  in  darkness 
and  silence  we  lowered  his  remains,  and  left  the ' 
gloomy  spot  to  return  to  his  disconsolate  wife,  who 
had  been  too  ill  to  join  the  meager  procession. 


HEARTLESS  PERSECUTION.  137 

It  has  ever  been  my  conviction  that  Furr  was 
poisoned,  most  likely  by  some  of  his  false  friends  who 
must  have  mingled  some  deadly  drug  with  his  drinks 
or  food ;  nor  do  I  believe  that  the  medicine  adminis- 
tered by  the  physician  was  designed  to  save  his  life. 
But  to  Him  who  knoweth  all  things,  we  leave  the 
matter. 

His  despised,  forsaken,  and  bereaved  wife  soon  fol- 
lowed him  to  the  grave,  where  she  sleeps  quietly  with 
her  innocent  babe  by  her  side ;  and  where  probably  this 
second  Desdemonia  finds  the  only  refuge  which  would 
have  been  granted  her  by  a  heartless  and  persecuting 
world. 

Oh,  when  will  this  nation  "  cease  to  do  evil  and 
learn  to  do  well  ?  "  When  will  they  judge  character 
in  accordance  with  its  moral  excellence,  instead  of  the 
complexion  a  man  unavoidably  bears  to  the  world  ? 


CHAPTER    XIY. 


INCIDENTS  IN  ROCHESTER  AND   VICINITY. 

AFTER  long  petitioning,  the  inhabitants  of  that 
section  sncceeded  in  having  the  new  county  of 
Monroe  set  off  from  Grenesee  and  Ontario  Counties,  in 
1821,  which  gave  a  new  impulse  to  the  business 
interests  of  the  already  nourishing  town,  which  had 
heretofore  labored  under  some  disadvantages  in  conse- 
quence of  having  all  public  business  done  at  Canan- 
daigua  or  Batavia. 

About  this  time,  too,  was  the  Carthage  bridge 
built  by  a  company  of  enterprising  gentlemen  of  that 
village,  which  at  that  day  was  considered  one  of  the 
wonders  of  the  age ;  but  as  its  history  is  well  known 
to  all  interested  in  the  enterprises  of  those  days,  it  is 
only  necessary  to  say,  that  the  magnificent  structure, 
so  grand  in  its  appearance,  such  a  pattern  of  mechan- 
ical ingenuity,  exhibiting  in  all  its  vast  proportions, 
both  strength  and  beauty,  combined  with  utility  and 


FALL    OF    CA.KTHAGE   BRIDGE.  139 

grandeur ;  and  erected  at  such  an  enormous  expense 
of  time,  labor,  and  cash,  was  destined  soon  to  fall. 
It  had  cost  some  ten  thousand  dollars;  and  had 
been  warranted  by  the  builders  to  stand  one  year. 
How  great  then  must  have  been  the  loss  and  disap- 
pointment when  in  a  little  more  than  twenty -four 
hours  after  the  time  specified,  the  ruins  of  that  beauti- 
ful structure  were  found  floating  on  the  broad  bosom 
of  the  Grenesee !  And  yet  when  we  take  into  consider- 
ation the  vast  amount  of  human  life  which  hourly 
passed  over  its  solid  surface,  we  can  but  wonder  at  the 
intervention  of  a  kind  Providence  which  prevented 
any  loss  of  life  at  the  time  -of  its  fall.  A  child  had 
but  just  passed  over  it,  when  with  one  general  crash  it 
sank  to  the  waters  below ;  mocking  in  its  rapid 
flight,  the  wisdom  of  the  architect  and  foresight  of 
frail  humanity.  The  fall  of  Carthage  bridge  was 
indeed  a  calamity  felt  by  the  public  generally,  and 
sounded  the  death-knell  of  all  future  greatness  to 
Carthage,  or  at  least  for  some  years  to  come. 

About  this  time  the  village  was  thrown  into  a  state 
of  excitement  by  the  arrest  of  a  colored  woman  named 
Ellen,  who  it  was  charged  had  escaped  from  service 
due  to  a  Mr.  D.,  south  of  Mason  and  Dixon's  Line. 
She  had  been  arrested  in  accordance  with  a  law  passed 
by  Congress  in  1793,  which  forbids  persons  owing 
service  in  one  State  to  flee  to  another ;  and  which  also 
obliges  those  receiving  such  service,  to  render  to  the 


140       INCIDENTS   IN   ROCHESTER   AND   VICINITY. 

claimant  any  fugitive  from  labor  due,  &c.  Poor 
Ellen !  She  had  many  friends  and  able  counsel,  but 
nothing  short  of  an  open  violation  of  the  law  of  the 
land,  could  prevent  her  return  to  the  house  of  bondage. 
She  was  tried  and  given  up  to  him  who  claimed 
dominion  over  her.  Hopeless  and  heart-broken,  she 
was  escorted  from  the  boasted  land  and  village  of 
freedom,  by  a  company  of  the  "Light  Horse,"  under 
the  command  of  Capt.  Curtis.  One  poor,  persecuted 
slave  woman,  upon  whose  heart  had  fallen. a  shadow 
darker  than  death's ;  driving  every  earthly  hope  of 
liberty  from  her  wounded  spirit ;  helpless  and  forlorn ! 
She  indeed  must  have  required  this  military  parade — • 
this  show  of  power !  And  that  too,  by  men  who 
throw  up  their  caps  with  a  shout  for  freedom  and 
equal  rights !     Oh,  "  consistency,  thou  art  a  jewel !  " 

As  I  recollect  but  one  other  incident  of  the  kind 
occurring  in  Rochester,  I  will  now  name  it. 

A  colored  man  named  Davis,  generally  known  as 
"Doctor  Davis,"  with  a  reputation  unsullied  for  indus- 
try, truth  and  sobriety,  was  arrested  as  a  fugitive  from 
slave  labor  in  Kentucky.  Two  men  came  on  from  that 
State,  acting  in  the  double  capacity  of  agents  for  the 
claimant  and  witnesses  against  the  slave.  They  em- 
ployed Mr.  L.  as  counsel,  and  hastened  on  the  trial  of 
the  afflicted  African.  When  it  became  generally 
known  that  Davis  was  arrested,  and  about  to  be  tried, 
the  excitement  grew  intense  among  all  classes;  but 


ARREST  OF  A   k  FUGUTIVE  SLAVE."  141 

more  particularly  among  the  colored  people.  When 
the  trial  came  on,  the  Court  room  was  crowded  to 
overflowing,  and  every  avenue  leading  to  it  densely 
thronged  with  deeply  anxious  persons,  assembled  to 
Witness  the  result.  It  became  evident,  however,  that 
the  poor  man  must  be  given  up  to  his  grasping  master, 
unless  some  means  were  devised  to  rescue  him  from 
the  power  of  an  unjust  law.  His  friends  were  on  the 
alert,  and  as  the  trial  proceeded,  the  colored  men  found 
an  opportunity  to  get  him  into  a  corner  of  the  crowded 
apartment ;  where,  while  the  officers  stood  at  the  door, 
they  dressed  him  in  disguise,  and  otherwise  so  com- 
pletely changed  his  personal  appearance,  that  he 
passed  out  of  the  Court  room,  undetected  by  the 
officers,  and  as  all  supposed  was  safely  pursuing  his 
way  to  Canada. 

The  hawk-eyed  counsel  for  the  Kentuckians,  how- 
ever, too  soon  observed  exultation  written  on  every 
dusky  countenance,  to  keep  quiet.  Starting  to  his  feet 
in  great  alarm,  he  cried  out  "Where  is  Davis?  "  And 
oh,  how  that  question  startled  every  one  present. 
Every  eye  gazed  hither  and  thither,  and  every  ear 
intently  listened  for  the  answer.  After  a  moment  of 
breathless  silence,  the  excited  counsellor  was  assured 
that  the  "bird  had  flown,"  which  announcement  was 
received  with  a  rapturous  shout  of  joy  by  the  audi- 
ence, greatly,  however,  to  the  discomfiture  of  the 
gentlemen  from  Kentucky,  who  had  thought  them- 


142       INCIDENTS   IN   ROCHESTER  AND  VICINITY. 

selves  so  sure  of  their  prize.  Nor  would  they  be 
thwarted  now.  It  was  not  yet  too  late  to  overtake 
their  victim,  and  slavery  required  at  their  hands  a 
sacrifice  which  they  were  ready  to  make.  Hand-bills 
were  in  immediate  circulation,  offering  a  reward  of 
fifty  dollars  for  the  apprehension  of  the  flying  fugitive. 
Fifty  dollars,  for  the  body  and  soul  of  a  man  to  plunge 
into  the  degradation  of  Slavery !  Fifty  dollars  for  the 
ruin  of  a  fellow  being,  for  whom  Christ  gave  his 
precious  life!  Yes,  fifty  dollars  are  offered  to  any 
human  blood-hound  who  will  hunt  and  worry  the 
poor  slave,  who  must  fly  from  this  boasted  land  of 
liberty,  to  seek  protection  in  the  dominion  of  Eng- 
land's Queen ! 

Unfortunately  for  Davis,  some  of  these  hand-bills 
were  thrown  on  board  the  very  packet  on  which  he 
had  embarked  for  Buffalo ;  nor  was  this  all.  The  bills 
would  have  left  him  uninjured,  but  a  scoundrel — an 
apology  for  a  man — was  there  also,  who,  for  the  con- 
sideration of  fifty  dollars  was  willing  to  compromise 
all  pretensions  to  manhood  and  humanity,  and  drag 
from  the  boat  the  panting  slave,  whom  he  cast  beneath 
the  heel  of  his  oppressor.  When  Davis  was  finally 
retaken,  those  Kentucky  dealers  in  human  chattels, 
held  him  with  a  grasp  that  banished  all  hope  of  escape 
by  flight;  and  then  in  his  sorrow  and  despair  the 
wretched,  hopeless  man  cried  out  "  Oh,  my  God,  must 
I  return  to  the  hell  of  Slavery  ?     Save  me,  Oh,  dear 


ESCAPE,  RE- ARREST,  AND  ATTEMPTED  SUICIDE.  143 

Lord,  save  this,  thy  helpless,  friendless  servant,  from 
a  fate  so  dreadful !  Oh,  Christian  friends  and  neigh- 
bors, I  appeal  to  you  to  rescue  me  from  a  life  far  more 
terrible  than  death  in  any  form !  Oh,  Grod,  is  there  no 
protection  for  me  in  the  laws  of  New  York  ?  I  claim 
it,  by  all  that  is  sacred  in  her  past  history  !  Give  me 
liberty  or  death !  or  death ! "  he  repeated,  with  a 
shudder ;  then  casting  one  glance  of  hopeless  agony 
on  his  persecutors,  he  secretly  drew  from  his  pocket  a 
razor,  and  before  he  could  be  prevented  he  drew  it 
across  his  throat,  and  fell  gasping  in  the  midst  of  his 
slave-hunting  tormentors,  while  a  collection  of  by- 
standers cried  "  Shame  !  shame !  on  the  institution 
of  Slavery ! " 

Poor  Davis  was  not  dead,  but  supposing  he  soon 
would  be,  these  gentlemen  were  requested  to  give 
security,  and  indemnify  the  town  for  all  expenses  it 
might  incur  on  Davis'  account.  But  instead  of  giving 
their  bond  as  requested,  they  took  a  sudden  start 
for  Kentucky,  where  it  was  very  generally  desired 
they  might  remain. 

With  good  treatment,  Davis,  after  a  long  time,  re- 
covered sufficiently  to  be  removed  by  his  friends  to  a 
place  of  safety ;  and  when  so  far  restored  as  to  be  able 
he  returned  to  Rochester,  where  he  received  assistance 
which  enabled  him  to  reach  Canada.  I  have  often 
heard  from  him  during  his  residence  in  that  country, 
where  no  slaves  exist    and  he  has  done  well,  havino; 


144       INCIDENTS   IN   ROCHESTER  AND   VICINITY. 

quite  an  extensive  practice  in  medicine,  and  lives  in  the 
qniet  enjoyment  of  that  liberty  which  he  struggled  so 
hard  to  obtain  and  came  so  near  losing ;  yet,  to  this 
day  he  prefers  death  to  Slavery.  And  who  does  not  ? 
None,  who  have  breathed  the  air  of  freedom  after  an 
experience  of  unrequited  toil  to  enrich  a  brutal  and 
selfish  master.  Truly  is  it  said,  "a  contented  slave  is 
a  degraded  being." 


CHAPTEK  XV. 


SAD  REVERSES  OF  CAPT.  HELM. 

I  MUST  again  introduce  to  the  kind  reader  my 
old  master,  Capt.  Helm,  who  we  left  residing  in 
Bath,  several  years  ago.  And  as  I  have  before  inti- 
mated he  had  now  become  a  very  poor  man ;  indeed 
so  reduced  was  he  now  that  he  lived  with  one  of  his 
slave  women,  and  was  supported  by  public  charity ! 
Learning,  too,  that  I  had  saved  by  my  industry  a  few 
hundred  dollars,  it  seemed,  very  congenial  with  his 
avaricious  habits  to  endeavor  to  obtain  what  I  pos- 
sessed. In  accordance  with  his  plan  he  employed  a 
lawyer  named  Lewland  to  come  to  my  place  of  busi- 
ness, which  he  did,  and  demanded  of  me  to  pay  Capt. 
Helm  two  hundred  dollars.  He  also  left  a  notice, 
forbidding  all  persons  to  take  or  destroy  any  property 
in  my  possession ;  and  then  impudently  inquired  how 
I  expected  to  gain  my  freedom ;  if  I  thought  of 
applying  for   a   writ  of  habceus   corpus;    and   many 

g- 


140        SAD  REVERSES  OF  CAPT  HELM. 

other  questions ;  to  which  I  replied  that  I  should  pay 
no  money  on  the  order  of  Capt.  Helm ;  apply  for  no 
writ;  but  should  continue  to  maintain  my  personal 
rights  and  enjoy  the  freedom  which  was  already  mine, 
and  which  I  designed  to  keep,  assuring  him  that  the 
Captain  had  forfeited  his  claim,  if  he  had  any,  to  me  or 
my  services,  when  he  hired  me  to  Mr.  Tower. 

He  hung  about  me  for  a  day  or  two,  and  then  left 
me  to  pursue  my  business — I  saw  no  more  of  him. 
Some  time  afterward  Mr.  H.  E.  Eochester  informed  me 
that  he  had  a  subpoena  for  me,  which  I  found  was 
issued  by  the  direction  of  Capt.  Helm.  By  Mr. 
Eochester's  counsel,  I  took  it  to  Mr.  A.  Sampson,  who 
assured  me  that  my  old  master  had  commenced  a  suit 
against  me  in  the  Court  of  Equity,  and  the  case  would 
be  tried  before  ¥m.  B.  Eochester,  Esq.,  who  was  one 
of  the  circuit  judges.  Capt.  Helm  claimed  every 
particle  of  property  I  possessed ;  a  claim  that  occasioned 
me  great  anxiety  and  some  cost. 

Mr.  Sampson  encouraged  me  to  hope,  however, 
that  the  case  would  be  dismissed  as  two  other  cases  of 
that  kind  had  been. 

I  labored  to  the  best  of  my  ability  to  prepare 
myself  for  the  trial,  which  was  to  decide  whether  I 
had  a  right  to  possess  myself  and  command  my  own 
services  and  earnings,  or  whether  all  belonged  to  Capt. 
Helm.  As  I  looked  forward  with  anxious  forebodings 
to  the  day  appointed  for  the  suit  to  commence,  I  was 


DEATH  OF  CAPT.  HELM.  147 

Startled  by  the  announcement  of  my  old  master's 
death !  Yes,  Capt.  Helm  was  dead ;  and  with  Mm 
died  the  law  suit.  He  who  had  so  wronged  me,  who 
had  occasioned  me  so  much  suffering  and  sorrow  had 
gone  to  his  account.  He  who  had  once  been  thought 
to  be  one  of  the  wealthiest  as  well  as  one  of  the 
greatest  men  in  the  county,  died  a  pauper — neglected 
and  despised,  and  scarcely  awarded  a  decent  burial. 
Like  his  wife,  who  died  such  a  horrid  death,  he  had 
been  reared  in  affluence  and  was  an  inheritor  of  vast 
possessions,  but  his  home  was  in  a  slave  State ;  he  was 
raised  on  a  plantation,  and  nurtured  in  the  atmosphere 
of  Slavery. 

In  his  youth  he  had  contracted  the  habit  of  drinking 
to  excess,  beside  that  of  gambling,  horse-racing  and 
the  like,  which  followed  him  through  life.  Forgotten 
and  scorned  in  his  poverty  by  many  who  had  partaken 
of  his  abundance,  sipped  his  wine,  and  rode  his  fast 
horses. 

During  the  last  war  his  princely  mansion  was  ever 
open  to  the  officers  of  the  army,  and  many  a  wounded 
soldier  has  been  cheered  and  comforted  by  his  hospi- 
tality. But  now  he  is  regarded  as  no  better  than  his 
poorest  slave,  and  lies  as  lowly  as  they,  in  the  narrow 
house  appointed  for  all  the  living. 

My  old  master  had  two  brothers:  the  oldest,  Thomas 
Helm,  was  ti  Captain  in  the  United  States  Army,  and 
had  been  in  many  hard-fought  battles.     His  younger 


148       SAD  REVERSES  OF  CAPT.  HELM. 

brother,  "William,  was  a   Captain  also ;    but   Thomas 
was  the  man  to  awaken  curiosity.     I  have  lived  with 
him,  "but  never  knew  of  his  going  unarmed  for  an 
hour,  until  he  left  Virginia   and  came  to  Steuben 
County,  where  he  died.     When  at  the  South,  I  have 
seen  strangers  approach  him,  but  they  were  invariably 
commanded  to  "  stand"  and  to  "  approach  him  at  their 
peril."     He  finally  came  to  the  State  of  New  York, 
bringing  with  him  his  "woman"  with  whom  he  lived, 
and  two  children,  with  whom  he  settled  on  a  piece  of 
land   given  him   by  my  old   master,  where  the  old 
soldier  lived,  died,  and  was  buried  on  one  of  .his  small 
"  clearings"  under  an  old  apple  tree.    He  owned  a  few 
slaves,  but  at  his  death  his  "woman"  collected  every 
thing  she  could,  and  among  the  rest,  two  or  three 
slave   children,  to  whom  she  had  no  right  or  claim 
whatever,  and  made  her  way  to  Kentucky.     About  a 
year   ago   I   visited   the   spot   where  the   brave   old 
defender  of  his  country  had  been  buried,  but  found 
very  little  to  mark  the  resting  place  of  the  brother  of 
my  old  master.    They  had  passed  away.   Their  wealth, 
power   and  bravery  had  come  to   nought;    and  no 
tribute  was  now  paid  to  the  memory  of  one  of  "  Old 
Virginia's  best  families."     The  blood  of  which  they 
were    wont  to    boast,    was    now   no    more   revered 
than  that  which  commingled   with   the  African  and 
circulated  in  the  veins  of  his  despised  and  down- 
trodden slaves. 


CHAPTER    XVI 


BRITISH  EMANCIPATION  OF  SLAVERY. 

AS  time  passed  on  I  found  myself  progressing  in  a 
profitable  business,  I  had  paid  for  rny  house 
and  lot,  and  purchased  another  adjoining,  on  which  I 
had  erected  a  valuable  brick  building.  The  Lord 
prospered  all  my  undertakings  and  I  felt  grateful  for 
my  good  fortune.  I  kept-  all  kinds  of  groceries 
and  grain,  which  met  a  ready  sale ;  and  now  I  began 
to  look  about  me  for  a  partner  in  life,  to  share  my 
joys  and  sorrows,  and  to  assist  me  on  through  the 
tempestuous  scenes  of  a  life-long  voyage.  Such  a 
companion  I  found  in  the  intelligent  and  amiable  Miss 

B ,  to  whom  I  was  married  on  the  eleventh  of 

May,  1825.  She  was  the  youngest  daughter  of  a 
particular  friend,  who  had  traveled  extensively  and 
was  noted  for  his  honesty  and  intelligence. 

About  this  time,  too,  "  Sam  Patch"  made  his  last 
and  fatal  leap  from  a  scaffold  twenty  five  feet  above 


150         BRITISH   EMANCTAPATION   OF   SLAVERY. 

the  falls  of  Grenesee,  which,  are  ninety-six  feet  in 
height.  From  thence  he  plunged  into  the  foaming 
river  to  rise  no  more  in  life.  The  following  spring 
the  body  of  the  foolish  man  was  found  and  buried, 
after  having  lain  several  months  in  the  turbulent 
waters  of  the  Grenesee. 

This  year  was  also  rendered  memorable  by  the 
efficient  labors  of  Professor  Finney,  through  whose 
faithful  preaching  of  the  gospel,  many  were  brought 
to  a  saving  knowledge  of  the  truth. 

The  "  Emancipation  Act"  had  now  been  passed,  and 
the  happy  time  for  it  to  take  effect  was  drawing  nigh. 
Slavery  could  no  longer  exist  in  the  Empire  State  nor 
receive  the  protection  of  her  laws.  Would  to  Grod  it 
had  so  continued  to  be  what  it  professed — the  refuge 
of  the  bondman  and  the  home  of  the  free.  But  alas ! 
Now  the  flying  fugitive  from  Slavery  finds  no  security 
within  her  borders ;  he  must  flee  onward,  to  the 
dominion  of  Queen  Yictoria,  ere  he  rests,  lest  the 
exaction  of  the  odious  ''Fugitive  Slave  Law"  return 
him  to  the  house  of  bondage. 

But  the  Emancipation  Bill  had  been  passed,  and  the 
colored  people  felt  it  to  be  a  time  fit  for  rejoicing. 
They  met  in  different  places  and  determined  to  evince 
their  gratitude  by  a  general  celebration.  In  Eochester 
they  convened  in  large  numbers,  and  resolved  to 
celebrate  the  glorious  day  of  freedom  at  Johnson's 
Square,  on  the  fifth  day  of  July.     This  arrangement 


GREAT   CELEBRATION.  151 

was  made  so  as  not  to  interfere  with  the  white  popula- 
tion who  were  everywhere  celebrating  the  day  of 
their  independence — "  the  Glorious  Fourth," — for  amid 
the  general  and  joyous  shout  of  liberty,  prejudice 
had  sneeringly  raised  the  finger  of  scorn  at  the  poor 
African,  whose  iron  bands  were  loosed,  not  only 
from  English  oppression,  but  the  more  cruel  and 
oppressive  power  of  Slavery. 

They  met  according  to  previous  appointment,  Mr. 

A.  H ,  having  been  chosen  president,  Mr.  H. 

E ,  marshal,  and  Mr.  H.  D ,  reader  of  the 

"Act  of  Emancipation,"  and  "The  Declaration  of 
Independence."  A  large  audience  of  both  white 
and  colored  people  assembled,  and  the  day  which  had 
been  ushered  in  by  the  booming  cannon,  passed  by 
in  the  joyous  realization  that  we  were  indeed  free 
men.  To  the  music  of  the  band  the  large  procession 
marched  from  the  square  to  the  hotel,  where  ample 
provision  was  made  for  dinner,  after  listening  to 
the  following  oration,  which.  I  had  been  requested  to 
deliver. 

I  must  not  omit  to  mention  that  on  the  morning  of 
that  happy  day,  a  committee  of  colored  men  waited 
upon  the  Hon.  Matthew  Brown,  and  in  behalf  of  the 
citizens  of  Monroe  County,  presented  their  thanks  for 
his  noble  exertions  in  the  Legislature,  in  favor  of  the 
Act  by  which  thousands  were  made  free  men. 

They  were  received   by  that   worthy  gentlemen 


152  BRITISH  EMANCIPATION   OF   SLAVERY. 

with,  grateful  and  pleasing  assurances  of  his  continued 
labor  in  behalf  of  freedom. 

Now  I  will  lay  before  the  reader  my  address  to  the 
audience  on  that  eventful  day. 


CHAPTER    XVII 


OEATIOJS" — TEEMINATION  OF  SLAVEEY. 

THE  age  in  which  we  live  is  characterised  in  no 
ordinary  degree,  by  a  certain  boldness  and 
rapidity  in  the  march  of  intellectual  and  political 
improvements.  Inventions  the  most  surprising;  re- 
volutions the  most  extraordinary,  are  springing  forth, 
and  passing  in  quick  succession  before  us, — all  tending 
most  clearly  to  the  advancement  of  mankind  towards 
that  state  of  earthly  perfection  and  happiness,  from, 
which  they  are  yet  so  far  distant,  but  of  which  their 
nature  and  that  of  the  world  they  inhabit,  are  most 
certainly  capable.  It  is  at  all  times  pleasing  and  in- 
structive to  look  backward  by  the  light  of  history,  and 
forward  by  the  light  of  analogical  reasoning,  to  behold 
the  gradual  advancement  of  man  from  barbarism  to 
civilization,  from  civilization  toward  the  higher  perfec- 
tions of  his  nature ;  and  to  hope — nay,  confidently  be- 
lieve, that  the  time  is  not  far  distant  when  liberty  and 
G* 


154  OEATION. 

equal  rights  being  everywhere  established,  morality 
and  the  religion  of  the  gospel  everywhere  diffused,- — ■ 
man  shall  no  longer  lift  his  hand  for  the  oppression  of 
his  fellow  man ;  but  all,  mutually  assisting  and  as- 
sited,  shall  move  onward  throughout  the  journey  of 
human  life,  like  the  peaceful  caravan  across  the  burn- 
ing sands  of  Arabia.  And  never,  on  this  glorious 
anniversary,  so  often  and  so  deservedly  celebrated  by 
millions  of  free  men,  but  which  we  are  to-day  for  the 
first  time  called  to  celebrate — never  before,  has  the 
eye  been  able  to  survey  the  past  with  so  much  satis- 
action,  or  the  future  with  hopes  and  expectations  so 
brilliant  and  so  flattering ;  it  is  to  us  a  day  of  two-fold 
joy.  "We  are  men,  though  the  strong  hand  of  preju- 
dice and  oppression  is  upon  us;  we  can,  and  we  will 
rejoice  in  the  advancement  of  the  rapidly  increasing 
happiness  of  mankind,  and  especially  of  our  own 
race.  We  can,  and  we  will  rejoice  in  the  growing 
power  and  glory  of  the  country  we  inhabit.  Although 
Almighty  Grod  has  not  permitted  us  to  remain  in  the 
land  of  our  forefathers  and  our  own,  the  glories  of 
national  independence,  and  the  sweets  of  civil  and  reli- 
gious liberty,  to  their  full  extent ;  but  the  strong  hand 
of  the  spoiler  has  borne  us  into  a  strange  land,  yet  has 
He  of  His  great  goodness  given  us  to  behold  those 
best  and  noblest  of  his  gifts  to  man,  in  their  fairest 
and  loveliest  forms ;  and  not  only  have  we  beheld 
them,  but  we  have  already  felt  much  of  their  being- 


TERMINATION   OF  SLAVERY.  155 

nant  influence.  Most  of  us  have  hitherto  enjoyed 
many,  very  many  of  the  dearest  rights  of  freemen. 
Our  lives  and  personal  liberties  have  been  held  as 
sacred  and  inviolable ;  the  rights  of  property  have 
been  extended  to  us,  in  this  land  of  freedom ;  our 
industry  has  been,  and  still  is,  liberally  rewarded; 
and  so  long  as  we  live  under  a  free  and  happy  govern- 
ment which  denies  us  not  the  protection  of  its  laws, 
why  should  we  fret  and  vex  ourselves  because  we 
have  had  no  part  in  framing  them,  nor  anything  to  do 
with  their  administration.  When  the  fruits  of  the 
earth  are  fully  afforded  us,  we  do  not  wantonly  refuse 
them,  nor  ungratefully  repine  because  we  have  done 
nothing  towards  the  cultivation  of  the  tree  which  pro- 
duces them.  No,  we  accept  them  with  lively  gratitude ; 
and  their  sweetness  is  not  embittered  by  reflecting 
upon  he  manner  in  which  they  were  obtained.  It  is 
the  dictate  of  sound  wisdom,  then,  to  enjoy  without 
repining,  the  freedom,  privileges,  and  immunities 
which  wise  and  equal  laws  have  awarded  us — nay, 
proudly  to  rejoice  and  glory  in  their  production,  and 
stand  ready  at  all  times  to  defend  them  at  the  hazard 
of  our  lives,  and  of  all  that  is  most  dear  to  us. 

But  are  we  alone  shut  out  and  excluded  from  any 
share  in  the  administration  of  government  ?  Are  not 
the  clergy,  a  class  of  men  equally  ineligible  to 
office?  A  class  of  men  almost  idolized  by  their 
countrymen,  ineligible  to  office !     And  are  we  alone 


156  ORATION. 

excluded  from  what  the  world  chooses  to  denominate 
polite  society?  And  are  not  a  vast  majority  of  the 
polar  race  excluded  ?  I  know  not  why,  but  mankind 
of  every  age,  nation,  and  complexion  have  had  lower 
classes;  and,  as  a  distinction,  they  have  chosen  to 
arrange  themselves  in  the  grand  spectacle  of  human 
life,  like  seats  in  a  theater — rank  above  rank,  with 
intervals  between  them.  But  if  any  suppose  that  hap- 
piness or  contentment  is  confined  to  any  single  class, 
or  that  the  high  or  more  splendid  order  possesses  any 
substantial  advantage  in  those  respects  over  their  more 
lowly  brethren,  they  must  be  wholly  ignorant  of  all 
rational  enjoyment.  For  what  though  the  more 
humble  orders  cannot  mingle  with  the  higher  on  terms 
of  equality.  This,  if  rightly  considered,  is  not  a 
curse  but  a  blessing.  Look  around  you,  my  friends : 
what  rational  enjoyment  is  not  within  your  reach? 
Your  homes  are  in  the  noblest  country  in  the  world, 
and  all  of  that  country  which  your  real  happiness 
requires,  may  at  any  time  be  yours.  Your  iodustry 
can  purchase  it;  and  its  righteous  laws  will  secure  you 
in  its  possession.  But,  to  what,  my  friends,  do  you  owe 
all  these  blessings  ?  Let  not  the  truth  be  concealed. 
You  owe  them  to  that  curse,  that  bitter  scourge  of 
Africa,  whose  partial  abolishment  you  are  this  day 
convened  to  celebrate.  Slavery  has  been  your  curse, 
but  it  shall  become  your  rejoicing.  Like  the  people 
of  Grod  in  Egypt,  you  have  been  afflicted;  but  like 


TERMINATION  OF  SLAVERY.  157 

them  too,  you  have  been  redeemed.  You  are  hence- 
forth free  as  the  mountain  winds.  "Why  should  we, 
on  this  day  of  congratulation  and  joy,  turn  our  view 
upon  the  origin  of  African  Slavery  ?  Why  should 
we  harrow  up  our  minds  by  dwelling  on  the  deceit, 
the  forcible  fraud  and  treachery  that  have  been  so 
long  practised  on  your  hospitable  and  unsuspecting 
countrymen?  Why  speak  of  fathers  torn  from  the 
bosom  of  their  families,  wives  from  the  embraces  of 
their  husbands,  children  from  the  protection  of  their 
parents;  in  fine,  of  all  the  tender  and  endearing 
relations  of  life  dissolved  and  trampled  under  foot,  by 
the  accursed  traffic  in  human  flesh?  Why  should 
we  remember,  in  joy  and  exultation,  the  thousands 
of  our  countrymen  who  are  to-day,  in  this  land  of 
gospel  light,  this  boasted  land  of  civil  and  religious 
liberty,  writhing  under  the  lash  and  groaning  beneath 
the  grinding  weight  of  Slavery's  chain  ?  I  ask,  Al- 
mighty God,  are  they  who  do  such  things  thy  chosen 
and  favorite  people  ?  But,  away  with  such  thoughts 
as  these;  we  will  rejoice,  though  sobs  interrupt  the 
songs  of  our  rejoicing,  and  tears  mingle  in  the  cup  we 
pledge  to  Freedom ;  our  harps  though  they  have  long 
hung  neglected  upon  the  willows,  shall  this  day  be 
strung  full  high  to  the  notes  of  gladness.  On  this 
day,  in  one  member  at  least  of  this  mighty  Kepublic, 
the  Slavery  of  our  race  has  ceased  forever !  No  more 
shall  the  insolent  voice  of  a  master  be  the  main-spring 


158  ORATION". 

of  our  actions,  the  sole  guide  of  our  conduct;  no  more 
shall  thers  hands  labor  in  degrading  and  profitless 
servitude.  Their  toils  will  henceforth  be  voluntary, 
and  be  crowned  with  the  never  failing  reward  of 
industry.  Honors  and  dignities  may  perhaps  never  be 
ours ;  but  wealth,  virtue,  and  happiness  are  all  within 
the  compass  of  our  moderate  exertions.  And  how 
shall  we  employ  a  few  moments  better  than  in  reflect- 
ing upon  the  means  by  which  these  are  to  be  obtained. 
For  what  can  be  more  proper  and  more  profitable  to 
one  who  has  just  gained  an  invaluable  treasure,  than 
to  consider  how  he  may  use  it  to  the  best  possible 
advantage?  And  here  I  need  not  tell  you  that  a 
strict  observance  to  all  the  precepts  of  the  gospel 
ought  to  be  your  first  and  highest  aim ;  for  small  will 
be  the  value  of  all  that  the  present  world  can  bestow, 
if  the  interests  of  the  world  to  come  are  neglected  and 
despised.  None  of  you  can  be  ignorant  of  what  the 
gospel  teaches.  Bibles  may  easily  be  obtained;  nor 
can  there  be  a  greater  disgrace,  or  a  more  shameful 
neglect  of  duty  than  for  a  person  of  mature  age,  and 
much  more,  for  any  father  of  a  family  to  be  without 
that  most  precious  of  all  books — the  Bible.  If,  there- 
fore, any  of  you  are  destitute  of  a  Bible,  hasten  to 
procure  one.  Will  any  of  you  say  that  it  can  be  of 
no  use  to  you,  or  that  you  cannot  read  it?  Look 
then  to  that  noblest  of  all  remedies  for  this  evil,  the 
Sunday  School — that  most  useful  of  all  institutions. 


TERMINATION  OF  SLAVERY.  159 

There  you  may  learn  -without  loss  of  time  or  money, 
that  of  which  none  should  be  ignorant — to  read. 

Let  me  exhort  you  with  earnestness  to  give  your 
most  sincere  attention  to  this  matter.  It  is  of  the 
utmost  importance  to  every  one  of  you.  Let  your 
next  object  be  to  obtain  as  soon  as  may  be,  a  compe- 
tency of  the  good  things  of  this  world;  immense 
wealth  is  not  necessary  for  you,  and  would  but 
diminish  your  real  happiness.  Abject  poverty  is  and 
ought  to  be  regarded  as  the  greatest,  most  terrible  of 
all  possible  evils.  It  should  be  shunned  as  a  most 
deadly  and  damning  sin.  What  then  are  the  means 
by  which  so  dreadful  a  calamity  may  be  avoided? 
I  will  tell  you,  my  friends,  in  these  simple  words — hear 
and  ponder  on  them ;  write  them  upon  the  tablets  of 
your  memory;  they  are  worthy  to  be  inscribed  in 
letters  of  gold  upon  every  door-post — "industry,  pru- 
dence, and  economy."  Oh  I  they  are  words  of  power 
to  guide  you  to  respectability  and  happiness.  Attend, 
then,  to  some  of  the  laws  which  industry  impose,  while 
you  have  health  and  strength.  Let  not  the  rising  sun 
behold  you  sleeping  or  indolently  lying  upon  your  beds. 
Eise  ever  with  the  morning  light ;  and,  till  sun-set,  give 
not  an  hour  to  idleness.  Say  not  human  nature  cannot 
endure  it.  It  can — it  almost  requires  it.  Sober,  dili- 
gent, and  moderate  labor  does  not  diminish  it,  but  on 
the  contrary,  greatly  adds  to  the  health,  vigor,  and 
duration   of  the  human  frame.     Thousands  of  the 


160  ORATION. 

human  race  have  died  prematurely  of  disease  engen- 
dered by  indolence  and  inactivity.  Few,  very  few 
indeed,  have  suffered  by  the  too  long  continuance  of 
bodily  exertion.  As  you  give  the  day  to  labor,  so 
devote  the  night  to  rest ;  for  who  that  has  drunk  and 
reveled  all  night  at  a  tippling  shop,  or  wandered  about 
in  search  of  impious  and  stolen  pleasures,  has  not  by  so 
doing  not  only  committed  a  most  heinous  and  damning 
sin  in  the  sight  of  Heaven,  but  rendered  himself  wholly 
unfit  for  the  proper  discharge  of  the  duties  of  the 
coming  day.  Nor  think  that  industry  or  true  happi- 
ness do  not  go  hand  in  hand;  and  to  him  who  is 
engaged  in  some  useful  avocation,  time  flies  delight- 
fully and  rapidly  away.  He  does  not,  like  the  idle 
and  indolent  man,  number  the  slow  hours  with  sighs — 
cursing  both  himself  and  them  for  the  tardiness  of 
their  flight.  Ah,  my  friends,  it  is  utterly  impossible 
for  him  who  wastes  time  in  idleness,  ever  to  know 
anything  of  true  happiness.  Indolence,  poverty, 
wretchedness,  are  inseparable  companions, — fly  them, 
shun  idleness,  as  from  eminent  and  inevitable  destruc- 
tion. In  vain  will  you  labor  unless  prudence  and 
economy  preside  over  and  direct  all  your  exertions. 
Eemember  at  all  times  that  money  even  in  your  own 
hands,  is  power;  with  it  you  may  direct  as  you  will 
the  actions  of  your  pale,  proud  brethren.  Seek  after 
and  amass  it  then,  by  just  and  honorable  means ;  and 
once  in  your  hand  never  part  with  it  but  for  a  full  and 


TERMINATION  OF  SLAVERY.  161 

fair  equivalent ;  nor  let  that  equivalent  be  something 
which  you  do  not  want,  and  for  which  you  cannot 
obtain  more  than  it  cost  you.  Be  watchful  and  dili- 
gent and  let  your  mind  be  fruitful  in  devises  for  the 
honest  advancement  of  your  worldly  interest.  So 
shall  you  continually  rise  in  respectability,  in  rank 
and  standing  in  this  so  late  and  so  long  the  land  of 
your  captivity. 

Above  all  things  refrain  from  the  excessive  use  of 
ardent  spirits.  There  is  no  evil  whose  progress  is  so 
imperceptible ;  and  at  the  same  time  so  sure  and  deadly, 
as  that  of  intemperance ;  and  by  slow  degrees  it  under- 
mines health,  wealth,  and  happiness,  till  all  at  length 
tumble  into  one  dreadful  mass  of  ruin.  If  God  has 
given  you  children,  he  has  in  so  doing  imposed  upon 
you  a  most  fearful  responsibility ;  believe  me,  friends, 
you  will  answer  to  God  for  every  misfortune  suffered, 
and  every  crime  committed  by  them  which  right 
education  and  example  could  have  taught  #iem  to 
avoid.  Teach  them  reverence  and  obedience  to  the 
laws  both  of  God  and  man.  Teach  them  sobriety, 
temperance,  justice,  and  truth.  Let  their  minds  be 
rightly  instructed — imbued  with  kindness  and  brother- 
ly love,  charity,  and  benevolence.  Let  them  possess 
at  least  so  much  learning  as  is  to  be  acquired  in  the 
common  schools  of  the  country.  In  short,  let  their 
welfare  be  dearer  to  you  than  any  earthly  enjoyment; 
so  shall  they  be  the  richest  of  earthly  blessings. 


162  ORATION. 

My  countrymen,  let  us  henceforth  remember  that 
we  are  men.  Let  us  as  one  man,  on  this  day  resolve 
that  henceforth,  by  continual  endeavors  to  do  good  to 
all  mankind,  we  will  claim  for  ourselves  the  attention 
and  respect  which  as  men  we  should  possess.  So  shall 
every  good  that  can  be  the  portion  of  man,  be  Ours — 
this  life  shall  be  happy,  and  the  life  to  come,  glorious. 


The  opinion  of  the  public  regarding  the  celebration 
and  performances  of  that  day,  together  with  the 
behavior  of  the  colored  people,  will  be  seen  by  the 
following  short  extract  from  the  Rochester  Daily  Adver- 
tiser, published  soon  after  the  occurrence  of  those 
events : 

"ABOLITION  OF  SLAVERY. 

"  Tke  extinction  of  that  curse  by  the  laws  of  our 
State,  was  marked  with  appropriate  rejoicings  on  the 
part  of  the  African  race  in  this  neighborhood.  A 
procession  of  considerable  length  and  respectable 
appearance,  preceded  by  a  band  of  music,  moved 
from  Brown's  Island'  through  the  principal  streets  to 
the  public  square,  yesterday  forenoon,  where  a  stage 
and  seats  were  erected,  for  the  speakers  and  audience. 
The  throne  of  Grace  was  addressed  by  the  Eev.  Mr. 
Allen,  a  colored  ♦clergyman.      The  act  declaring  all 


TERMINATION  OF  SLAVERY.         163 

slaves  free  in  this  State,  on.  the  fourth  day  of  July, 
1827,  was  read,  which  was  succeeded  by  the  reading 
of  the  Declaration  of  Independence  and  delivery  of 
an  oration  by  Mr.  Steward.  We  have  heard  but  one 
opinion  from  several  gentlemen  who  were  present, 
and  that  was  -highly  complimentary  to  the  composition 
and  delivery  of  the  same. 

"  The  exercises  were  concluded  by  a  short  discourse 
from  the  Eev.  Mr.  Allen,  and  the  procession  moved 
off  to  partake  of  an  entertainment  prepared  for  the 
occasion.  The  thing  was  got  up  in  good  order,  and 
passed  off  remarkably  well.  The  conduct  of  the 
emancipated  race  was  exemplary  throughout,  and  if 
their  future  enjoyment  of  freedom  be  tinctured  with 
the  prudence  that  characterised  their  celebration  of  its 
attainment,  the  country  will  have  no  reason  to  mourn 
the  philanthropy  that  set  them  free." 

Thus  ended  our  first  public  celebration  of  our  own 
and  our  country's  freedom.  All  conducted  themselves 
with  the  strictest  propriety  and  decorum,  retiring  to 
their  homes  soberly  and  in  proper  season. 


CHAPTEE  XVIII. 


CONDITION  OF  FREE  COLORED  PEOPLE. 

PTJKSUANT  to  a  call  given  in  the  summer  of 
1830,  by  the  colored  residents  of  Philadelphia, 
for  a  National  Convention  of  their  race,  I  started  in 
company  with  a  friend  to  attend  it ;  having  previously 
engaged  seats  inside  Mr.  Coe's  stage-coach  as  far  as 
Utica,  N".  Y.,  to  which  place  we  had  paid  our  fare  the 
same  as  other  passengers. 

We  rode  on  to  Auburn  very  pleasantly,  but  when 
at  that  place,  we  with  others  moved  to  resume  our 
seats;  we  were  met  by  a  stern  rebuke  for  presuming 
to  seat  ourselves  on  the  inside,  and  were  ordered  to 
ride  on  the  outside  of  the  coach.  In  vain  we  expos- 
tulated in  vain  we  reminded  the  driver  of  the 
agreement,  and  of  our  having  paid  for  an  inside  seat ; 
we  were  told  to  take  the  outside  of  the  coach  or 
remain  behind.        w 

Desiring  to  attend  the  convention,  we  concluded  to  go 


ATTEND  COLORED  NATIONAL  CONVENTION.      165, 

on,  submitting  to  this  rank  injustice  and  dishonesty, 
until  our  return,  when  we  determined  to  sue  the  pro- 
prietor of  that  line  of  stages.  An  opportunity  was 
offered  soon  after,  when  I  commenced  a  suit  for 
damages  against  Mr.  Sherwood,  who  was  the  great 
stage  proprietor  of  those  days.  He,  however,  cleared 
himself  by  declaring  that  he  was  in  no  way  responsible 
for  the  failures  of  Mr.  Coe,  to  whom  I  must  look 
for  remuneration.  I  never  found  it  convenient  to  sue 
Mr.  Coe,  and  so  the  matter  ended. 

We  passed  through  New  York  City  to  the  place  of 
our  destination,  where  we  found  many  of  our  brethren 
already  assembled. 

Philadelphia,  which  I  now  saw  for  the  first  time,  I 
thought  the  most  beautiful  and  regularly  laid  out  city 
I  ever  beheld.  Here  had  lived  the  peaceable,  just,  and 
merciful  William  Penn ;  and  here  many  of  his  ad- 
herents still  reside.  Here,  too,  was  the  place  where 
the  Et.  Rev.  Bishop  Allen,  the  first  colored  American 
bishop  in  the  United  States,  had  labored  so  success- 
fully. When  the  Methodists  sought  to  crush  by  cruel 
prejudice  the  poor  African,  he  stepped  boldly  forward 
in  defence  of  their  cause,  which  he  sustained  with 
a  zeal  and  talent  ever  to  be  revered. 

Thousands  were  brought  to  a  knowledge  of  the 
truth,  and  induced  "to  seek  first  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  and  its  righteousness,"  through  his  instrumen- 
tality.    Through  the  benign  influence   of  this  good 


166    CONDITION  OF  FREE  COLORED  PEOPLE. 

man,  friends  and  means  were  raised  for  his  poor 
brethren,  to  build  houses  of  worship,  where  they 
would  no  more  be  dragged  from  their  knees  when  in 
prayer,  and  told  to  seat  themselves  by  the  door.  Oh, 
how  much  good  can  one  good  and  faithful  man  do, 
when  devoted  to  the  cause  of  humanity — following  in 
the  footsteps  of  the  blessed  Christ ;  doing  unto  others 
as  they  would  be  done  by ;  and  remembering  those  in 
bonds  as  bound  with  them.  What  though  his  skin  be 
black  as  ebony,  if  the  heart  of  a  brother  beats  in  his 
bosom?  Oh,  that  man  could  judge  of  character  as 
does  our  Heavenly  Father ;  then  would  he  judge 
righteous  judgment,  and  cease  to  look  haughtily  down 
upon  his  afflicted  fellow,  because  "his  skin  is  colored 
not  like  his  own." 

We  convened  at  the  specified  time,  and  organized 
by  appointing  Eev.  E.  Allen,  president,  A.  Steward, 
vice-president,  and  J.  C.  Morrell,  secretary.  The 
convention  which  continued  in  session  three  days, 
was  largely  attended  by  all  classes  of  people,  and 
many  interesting  subjects  were  ably  discussed ;  but 
the  most  prominent  object  was  the  elevation  of  our 
race.  Resolutions  were  passed  calculated  to  encourage 
our  brethren  to  take  some  action  on  the  subjects  of 
education  and  mechanism.  Agricultural  pursuits 
were  also  recommended  ; — and  here  allow  me  to  give 
my  opinion  in  favor  of  the  latter,  as  a  means  of  suste- 
nance and  real  happiness. 


AGRICULTURE   PREFERABLE  TO  SERFDOM.       167 

I  knew  many  colored  farmers,  all  of  whom  are  well 
respected  in  the  neighborhood  of  their  residence.  I 
wish  I  could  count  them  by  hundreds ;  but  our  people 
mostly  flock  to  cities  where  they  allow  themselves  to 
be  made  "hewers  of  wood  and  drawers  of  water;" 
barbers  and  waiters, — when,  if  they  would  but  retire 
to  the  country  and  purchase  a  piece  of  land,  cultivate 
and  improve  it,  they  would  be  far  richer  and  happier 
than  they  can  be  in  the  crowded  city.  It  is  a  mistaken 
idea  that  there  is  more  prejudice  against  color  in  the 
country.  True,  it  exists  everywhere,  but  I  regard  it 
less  potent  in  the  country,  where  a  farmer  can  live  less 
dependant  on  his  oppressors.  The  sun  will  shine,  the 
rains  descend,  and  the  earth  bring  forth  her  increase, 
just  as  readily  for  the  colored  agriculturist  as  for  his 
pale  face  neighbor.  Yes,  and  our  common  mother 
Earth  will,  when  life  is  ended,  as  readily  open  her 
bosom  to  receive  your  remains  in  a  last  embrace,  as 
that  of  the  haughty  scorner  of  our  rights. 

In  the  city,  however,  there  is  no  escape  from  the 
crushing  weight  of  prejudice,  to  ramble  over  fields  of 
your  own  cultivation ;  to  forget  your  sorrows  in  the 
refreshing  air  that  waves  the  loaded  branches  of  an 
orchard  of  your  own  planting ;  nor  to  solace  yourself 
with  a  gambol  over  the  green  meadow  with  your  little 
ones.  It  is  all  toil,  toil,  with  a  burthened  heart  until 
shadows  fall  across  the  hearth-stone,  and  dismal  fore- 
bodings darken  the  fireside,  from  whence  the  weary 


168    CONDITION  OF  FREE  COLORED  PEOPLE. 

wife  retires  to  refresh  herself  in  broken  slumber  for 
the  renewed  toil  of  another  day.  "Will  not  my  friends 
think  of  these  and  many  other  advantages  in  favor  of 
a  country  life,  and  practice  accordingly  ? 

After  the  close  of  the  convention,  I  returned  to  my 
business  in  Eochester. 

Until  the  discussion,  which  commenced  about  this 
time  on  the  subject  of  temperance,  I  had  been  engaged, 
as  most  other  grocers  were  at  that  time,  in  the  sale  of 
spirituous  liquors  somewhat  extensively.  My  attention 
had  never  before  been  called  especially  to  the  subject, 
though  I  had  witnessed  some  of  its  direst  evils ;  but 
now,  when  I  saw  the  matter  in  its  true  light,  I  resolved 
to  give  it  up.  I  was  doing  well  and  making  hand- 
some profits  on  the  sale  of  alcoholic  beverages.  I  had 
also  experienced  a  good  deal  of  trouble  with  it.  My 
license  allowed  me  to  sell  any  quantity  less  than  five 
gallons;  but  it  was  a  fine  of  twenty-five  dollars  if 
drunk  on  the  premises, — one  half  of  the  sum  to  go  to 
the  complainant.  If  a  vicious  man  got  out  of  funds 
it  became  both  easy  and  common  for  him  to  give  some 
person  a  sixpence,  half  of  which  was  to  be  spent  for 
whisky,  which  made  him  a  witness  for  the  other,  who 
would  make  immediate  complaint,  and  collect  his 
share  of  the  fine.  Nor  could  I  prevent  men  who  came 
with  bottles,  and  purchased  whisky,  from  drinking  it 
where  they  pleased ;  consequently  I  was  often  called 
to  answer  to  such  complaints. 


ABANDON   THE   LIQUOB  TRAFFIC.  169 

One  morning  a  man  entered  my  store  and  called  for 
liquor,  which  the  clerk  gave  him.  After  drinking  it, 
he  went  directly  to  the  office  of  A.  House,  Esq.,  and 
entered  a  complaint  against  the  clerk  who  had  served 
him ;  then  stepped  out  for  consultation  with  his  coun- 
sel. At  that  moment  I  arrived  at  the  office  of  the 
magistrate  to  whom  I  immediately  made  complaint 
against  myself,  relating  to  him  also  just  how  the 
event  happened.  In  a  few  minutes  the  original  com- 
plainant returned,  to  whom  'Squire  House  explained 
that  he  should  have  arraigned  the  proprietor  of  the 
store,  and  not  the  clerk  as  he  had  done.  Determined 
on  making  a  speculation,  however,  lie  demanded  a 
precept  for  myself.  The  'Squire,  laughing  most 
heartily,  informed  him  that  he  was  too  late, — that  Mr. 
Steward  had  the  start  of  him,  having  just  entered  a 
complaint  against  himself,  by  which  he  saves  one  half 
of  the  fine.  The  man  walked  out,  looking  rather 
"  cheap,"  nor  did  he  or  others  annoy  me  afterwards  by 
making  complaints  of  that  kind. 

But  now  I  saw,  as  never  before,  the  sin  of  selling 
that  which  would  make  beasts  of  men,  and  only 
stopped  to  inquire  what  was  duty  in  the  matter.  All 
the  arguments  in  favor  of  its  sale  were  more  forcible 
then  than  now.  All  classes  of  persons  used  and  drank 
the  article ;  and  it  required  more  moral  courage,  to 
relinquish  the  business  than  it  does  now.  Neverthe- 
less, it  appeared  plain  to  my  mind,  that  duty  to  God 
H 


170    CONDITION  OF  FREE  COLORED  PEOPLE. 

and  my  fellow-men  required  it,  and  I  cheerfully  gave 
it  up  forever. 

I  could  not  conscientiously,  nor  do  I  see  how  any 
man  can,  continue  to  traffic  in  this  most  fruitful  source 
of  pauperism  and  crime.  No  benefit  whatever  arises 
from  its  use.  as  a  beverage  or  from  its  sale.  It  is  a 
curse  to  the  drinker,  to  the  seller,  and  to  the  com- 
munity. Those  who  are  licensed  venders  take  from 
the  government  fifty  dollars  for  every  one  put  into  the 
treasury.  The  money  paid  for  licenses  is  a  very 
meager  compensation  for  the  beggary,  crime,  and 
bloodshed  which  rum  produces.  All  who  have  any 
knowledge  of  the  statistics  of  the  State,  or  of  our 
prison  and  police  records  know,  that  intemperance  has 
done  more  to  fill  the  prisons,  work-houses,  alms-houses, 
and  asylums  of  the  State  than  all  other  influences 
combined;  and  yet  men  uphold  the  traffic.  Their 
favors  are  for  those  who  love  its  use  and  sale,  and 
their  anathemas  for  him  who  is  striving  to  save  a 
nation  of  drunkards  from  swift  destruction ;  yea,  their 
own  sires,  sons,  and  brothers  from  the  grave  of  the 
inebriate. 

When  in  Eochester  a  short  time  since,  soliciting 
subscribers  for  this  work,  I  stepped  into  a  distillery 
and  asked  a  man  to  subscribe  for  it.  He  hesitated  in 
his  decision  until  he  took  a  tumbler  and  filling  it  with 
brandy,  invited  me  to  drink.  I  thanked  him,  saying 
I  never  drink  brandy.     u  Never  drink !  "  he  growled, 


REFLECTIONS  ON  INTEMPERANCE,  171 

"then  I  tell  you,  sir,  that  you  stand  a  much  better 
chance  of  being  struck  by  lightning  than  of  getting  a 
subscriber  here."  Oh,  very  well;  most  likely  had 
he  agreed  to  take  a  copy,  he  would  have  been  sorely 
displeased  with  my  views  of  the  liquor  traffic,  and 
perhaps  with  the  compliment  I  have  here  paid  him. 

But  in  the  foregoing  remarks  I  have  said  but  a  tithe 
of  what  my  heart  feels,  when  I  think  of  the  sufferings 
occasioned  by  drunkenness. 

Even  the  cup  of  the  burthened  slave,  writhing  in 
his  chains  and  toiling  under  the  lash,  is  not  full  of 
bitterness  until  the  demon  rum  throws  in  its  dregs  and 
fills  it  to  overflowing. 

How  often  does  it  occur  that  a  passionate  master, 
heated  with  wine, — mad  with  himself  and  all  about 
him,  pours  out  his  vengeful  ire  on  the  head  and  babk 
of  some  helpless  slave,  and  leaves  him  weltering  in 
his  blood !  How  often  may  be  heard  the  agonized 
wail  of  the  slave  mother,  deploring  the  departure  of 
some  innocent  child  that  has  been  lost  in  gambling, 
while  the  master  was  intoxicated  ! 

How  often  do  the  shrieks  of  the  poor  but  virtuous 
slave  girl,  ring  through  the  midnight  air,  as  she,  plead- 
ing for  death  rather  than  life,  rushes  screaming  away 
from  a  brutal  master,  infuriated  and  drunk  !  If  it  is 
a  fact,  and  certainly  it  is,  that  the  master  is  thus 
affected  by  his  costly  wine ;  what,  think  you,  will  be 
the  temper  and  condition  of  the  coarse  and  heartless 


172    CONDITION  OF  FREE  COLORED  PEOPLE, 

overseer  who  drinks  his  miserable  whisky  or "  bad 
brandy?  It  is  horrible,  beyond  description.  I  have 
often  myself  seen  a  drunken  overseer,  after  pouring 
down  dram  after  dram,  mount  his  horse  and  ride 
furiously  among  the  slaves,  beating,  bruising,  mangling 
with  his  heavy  cowhide  every  one  he  chanced  to  meet, 
until  the  ground  presented  the  appearance  of  a  battle- 
field. 


CHAPTER  XIX 


PERSECUTION  OF  THE  COLORED  PEOPLE. 

WHILE  the  colored  population  of  New  York 
were  rejoicing  in  the  measure  of  freedom 
allowed  them  by  the  more  wholesome  laws  of  that 
State,  our  brethren  in  Ohio  were  being  oppressed  and 
maltreated  by  the  unjust  and  odious  "black  laws"  of 
that  professedly  free  State,  enacted  with  special  refer- 
ence to  the  disposition  of  the  colored  race. 

In  Cincinnati,  0.,  within  sight  of  the  slave  land  of 
Kentucky,  a  terrible  persecution  had  commenced,  and 
an  effort  was  made  to  drive  all  colored  persons  from 
the  place. 

Our  people  had  settled  there  in  large  numbers,  but 
now  a  mob  had  assembled  in  that  city  with  the  deter- 
mination to  drive  them,  not  only  from  their  homes  and 
city,  but  from  the  State.  A  bloody  conflict  ensued,  in 
which  the  white  and  black  man's  blood  mingled 
freely.     So  great  had  been  the  loss  of  property ;  and 


174       PERSECUTION  OF  THE  COLORED  PEOPLE. 

so  horrid  and  fearful  had  been  the  scene,  that  our 
people  chose  to  leave,  rather  than  remain  under  such 
untoward  circumstances.  They  lived  in  constant  fear 
of  the  mob  which  had  so  abused  and  terrified  them. 
Families  seated  at  the  fireside  started  at  every  breath 
of  wind,  and  trembled  at  the  sound  of  every  approach- 
ing footstep.  The  father  left  his  family  in  fear,  lest  on 
his  return  from  his  daily  labor,  he  should  find  his  wife 
and  children  butchered,  and  his  house  left  desolate. 

Meetings  were  held  to  devise  plans  and  means  for 
leaving  the  place  where  they  had  been  so  cruelly 
treated.  But  where  should  they  go?  And  why 
should  they  be  compelled  to  leave  the  State  of  Ohio  ? 
The  fact  is,  that  the  African  race  there,  as  in  all  parts 
of  this  nominally  free  Kepublic,  was  looked  down 
upon  by  the  white  population  as  being  little  above  the 
brute  creation ;  or,  as  belonging  to  some  separate  class 
of  degraded  beings,  too  deficient  in  intellect  to  provide 
for  their  own  wants,  and  must  therefore  depend  on  the 
superior  ability  of  their  oppressors,  to  take  care  of 
them.  Indeed,  both  the  time  and  talents  of  eminent 
men  have  been  wasted  in  unsuccessful  research  for  the 
line  of  demarkation,  between  the  African  and  the 
highest  order  of  animals,' — such  for  instance  as  the 
monkey  or  the  ourang-outang.  Some  even,  have  ad- 
vanced the  absurd  idea,  that  wicked  Cain  transmitted 
to  them  the  "mark"  which  the  Almighty  set  upon 
him  for  the  murder  of  his  brother ;  and  that  he,  (who 


THE  COLORED  RACE  NOT  INFERIOR.     175 

then  must  have  survived  the  deluge),  is  the  progenitor 
of  that  despised  and  inferior  race — the  negro  slave  of 
the  United  States  of  America  I 

If  it  be  true,  that  the  natural  inferiority  of  the  black 
man,  connects  him  so  closely  with  the  animal  creation, 
it  looks  passing  strange  to  me  that  he  should  be  made 
responsible  for  the  violation  of  laws  which  he  has 
been  declared  too  imbecile  to  aid  in  framing  or  of 
comprehending.  Nor  is  it  less  strange  to  see  him 
enslaved  and  compelled  by  his  labor  to  maintain  both 
his  master  and  himself,  after  having  declared  him 
incapable  of  doing  either.  Why  not  let  him  go  then  ? 
Why  hold  with  an  unyielding  grasp,  so  miserable  and 
useless  a  piece  of  property  ?  Is  it  benevolence  that 
binds  him  with  his  master's  chain?  Judge  ye. 
Stranger  still  is  the  fact  of  attaching  such  vast  influ- 
ence to  his  presence  and  so  much  concern  regarding 
his  movements,  when  in  a  state  of  freedom,  if  indeed, 
he  is  of  so  little  worth  and  consequence,  and  so  nearly 
related  to  the  brutes  that  perish. 

Surely,  the  Legislature  of  Ohio,  or  of  any  other 
State,  would  never  feel  called  upon  to  sit  in  grave 
counsel,  for  the  purpose  of  framing  laws  which  would 
impose  fine  and  imprisonment  on  a  monkey,  should 
one  chance  to  locate  within  its  jurisdiction;  nor  would 
they  think  it  advisable  for  the  court  to  assemble,  or  a 
jury  to  be  empanneled,  to  drive  from  their  midst  an 
ourang-outang.  And  yet  this  and  more  must  be  done 
to  get  rid  of  the  hated  negro,  who  has  been  born  in 


176        PERSECUTION   OF  THE   COLORED   TEOPLE. 

that  State,  or  lias  fled  to  it  for  protection  from  the 
manstealer. 

When  strangers  pass  hastily  through  this  country, 
and  after  a  careless  glance  at  the  colored  population, 
report  them  to  be  "an  indolent,  improvident,  and 
vicious  class  of  persons,"  they  should  consider  some 
of  the  many  obstacles  thrown  in  the  way  of  the  most 
favored  of  that  race.  Knowing  as  they  do,  the  rigor 
of  the  law,  and  feeling  as  they  do,  the  oppressive 
power  of  prejudice,  it  becomes  almost  impossible  for 
them  to  rise  to  that  station  they  were  designed  to  fill, 
and  for  which  their  natural  abilities  as  certainly 
qualify  them,  as  though  they  had  never  been  robbed 
of  their  God-given  rights.  But  let  us  return  to  our 
tried  friends  in  Cincinnati. 

They  finally  resolved  to  collect  what  they  could  of 
their  possessions  and  establish  a  colony  in  Canada. 
In  accordance  with  this  resolution,  they  agreed  to  first 
send  an  agent  to  obtain  liberty  to  settle  there,  and  if 
successful  to  select  and  purchase  a  large  tract  of  land, 
making  such  arrangements  as  he  thought  best  for  their 
speedy  removal  to  their  new  home.  Israel  Lewis  was 
their  appointed  agent,  who  departed  immediately  for 
Upper  Canada  to  perform  his  mission;  and  there  for 
the  present  we  will  leave  him  and  return  to  Eochester 

Our  more  favored  brethren  in  New  York  felt  a  deep 
sympathy  for  their  outraged  countrymen  in  Cincin- 
nati ;  a  sympathy  equaled  only  by  their  indignation 
at  the  cause  of  such  demand. 


CANADA  SELECTED  AS  AN   ASYLUM.     177 

A  meeting  expressive  of  their  views  and  feelings 
on  that  subject,  was  convened  in  the  city  of  Eochester, 
during  which,  the  following  preamble  and  resolutions 
were  read  and  unanimously  adopted : 

Whereas,  The  city  of  Cincinnati  lias  again  become  the  scene  of 
another  dreadful  mob  and  bloodshed,  where  nothing  bub  terror  and 
cmfusion  reigned  for  a  number  of  hours  together. 

And  Whereas,  Our  brethren  and  fellow  citizens  were  left  exposed 
to  the  fury  of  an  ungovernable  mob,  made  up  of  the  base,  the  igno- 
rant, and  vile,  the  very  dregs  of  society  ;  and  probably  led  on  by 
slaveholders,  who  of  all  men  are  the  most  execrable  ;  while  boasting 
of  liberty,  he  tramples  on  the  dearest  rights  of  men  and  in  the 
greatest  robber  of  it  on  earth. 

Resolved,  That  we  deprecate  an  appeal  to  arms  by  any  class  of  our 
fellow  citizens,  except  in  extreme  cases,  and  we  think  that  such  a 
case  has  been  presented  in  the  late  outrage  at  Cincinnati. 

Resolved,  That  when  a  class  of  men  so  far  forget  the  duty  they  owe 
to  God,  their  fellow  men,  and  their  country,  as  to  trample  under  their 
feet  the  very  laws  they  have  made,  and  are  in  duty  bound  to  obey 
and  execute,  we  believe  it  to  be  the  duty  of  our  brethren  and  fellow 
citizens,  to  protect  their  lives  against  such  lawless  mobs ;  and  if  in  the 
conflict,  any  of  the  motocrats  perish,  eyevj  good  citizen  should  say 
Amen. 

Resolved,  That  we  do  truly  sympathize  with  the  friends  of  God's 
poor ;  the  friends  of  the  oppressed,  throughout  this  boasted  land  of 
liberty,  in  the  losses  they  have  sustained  in  consequence  of  the  mob. 

Resolved,  That  we  believe  the  time  is  not  far  distant,  when  the 
Queen  City  of  the  West,  shall  be  redeemed  from  the  hateful  influence 
of  the  slaveholder ;  redeemed  from  that  cruel  prejudice  of  caste  which 
hangs  like  a  mill-stone  around  the  neck  of  our  people  ;  redeemed 
from  all  those  unequal  laws,  which  have  a  tendency  to  make  the 

H* 


178       PERSECUTION  OF  THE  COLORED  PEOPLE. 

strong  stronger  and  the  weak  weaker ;  redeemed  from  their  false- 
heai-ted  friends,  whose  sarcastic  smile  is  more  to  be  feared  than  the 
frowns  of  an  open  enemy. 

Resolved,  That  the  untiring  exertions  of  our  friends,  and  the.  inde- 
fatigable industry  of  our  brethren,  are  sure  guarantees  that  the  State 
of  Ohio  will  not  long  be  what  she  now  is, — a  hissing  and  by- word 
on  account  of  her  iniquitous  laws ;  but  that  she  will  rise  above  every 
narrow  minded  prejudice,  and  raise  up  hei  sable  sons  and  daughters 
and  place  them  on  an  equality  with  the  rest  of  her  citizens. 

Resolved,  That  we  deeply  deplore  the  loss  our  friends  have  sus- 
tained in  the  destruction  of  their  printing  press  in  Cinc;r*  ati. 

Resolved,  That  we  as  an  oppressed  people,  fsel  i  oi  d*»ty  to  give 
our  undivided  support  to  the  press  and  the  laborers  in  our  cause. 

Mr.  Israel  Lewis  made  his  way  to  Canada,  and 
having  obtained  permission  to  establish  a  colony,  he 
bargained  with  the  Canada  Company  for  one  township 
of  land,  for  which  he  agreed  to  pay  the  money 
demanded,  in  a  few  days,  and  then  returned  to  Cincin- 
nati, by  way  of  Eochester.  The  poor,  persecuted 
colored  people,  had  in  the  mean  time  made  ready  for 
their  flight  from  their  homes,  their  native  land,  and 
from  this  boasted  free  Eepublic,  to  seek  a  residence  in 
the  cold  and  dreary  wilds  of  Canada ;  to  claim  that 
protection  from  the  English  government  which  had 
been  denied  them  in  the  land  of  their  birth;  and 
like  the  overtasked  Israelites,  "they  went  out  with 
their  wives  and  their  little  ones,"  but  with  smaller 
possessions. 

During  the   stay   of  Mr.  Lewis   in   Eochester,  he 


LEAVE  ROCHESTER  FOR  CANADA.  179 

reported  there  and  elsewhere,  that  eleven  hundred 
persons  were  then  in  the  dense  woods  of  Canada  in  a 
state  of  actual  starvation,  and  called  upon  the  humane 
everywhere,  to  assist  them  in  such  extreme  suffering. 

To  me  he  also  told  the  story  of  their  destitution, 
which  affected  me  deeply.  I  had  at  that  time  just 
made  a  public  profession  of  my  faith  in  the  christian 
religion  and  my  determination  to  be  governed  by  its 
holy  precepts.  I  felt  for  the  distressed  and  suffering 
everywhere ;  but  particularly  for  those  who  had  fled, 
poor  and  destitute,  from  cruel  task-masters,  choosing 
rather  the  sufferings  of  cold  and  hunger,  with  liberty, 
than  the  meager  necessities  of  life  and  Slavery.  I 
concluded  to  go  to  Canada  and  try  to  do  some  good ; 
to  be  of  some  little  service  in  the  great  cause  of 
humanity. 

As  soon  as  practicable  therefore,  I  left  Eochester  for 
Toronto,  the  capital  of  Upper  Canada,  which  I  found 
quite  a  thriving  town,  and  containing  some  fine  brick 
buildings,  and  some  I  saw  were  built  of  mud,  dried  in 
the  sun,  wearing  rather  a  poor  than  pretty  appearance. 
At  Toronto  we  hired  a  team  to  take  us  on  to  Ancaster, 
fifty  miles  distant.  "We  traveled  now  through  a  new 
country;  the  roads  were  very  bad,  and  the  inhabitants 
few.  We,  however,  reached  Ancaster,  a  small  village, 
where  we  remained  one  night  and  next  morning  pursu- 
ed our  journey  to  the  settlement  of  the  poor  fugitives 
from  Cincinnati.      After  some    hard    traveling,   we 


180        PERSECUTION  OF  THE   COLORED  PEOPLE. 

finally  arrived  at  the  place  where  we  found  our 
brethren,  it  is  true,  but  in  quite  destitute  circum- 
stances. Our  fare  was  poor  indeed,  but  as  good  as 
they  could  get.  The  township  was  one  unbroken 
wilderness  when  purchased  for  the  colony,  and  of 
course  their  lands  must  be  cleared  of  the  heavy  timber 
before  crops  could  be  -got  in,  hence,  there  was  a  great 
deal  of  destitution  and  suffering  before  their  harvest 
could  ripen  after  the  land  was  prepared  for  the  seed. 

The  day  after  I  arrived  at  the  settlement,  which 
consisted  of  a  few  rude  log  cabins,  a  meeting  was 
called  to  give  the  township  a  name.  Several  were 
suggested,  but  I  at  length  motioned  to  name  it  in 
honor  of  the  great  philanthropist,  Wilberforce.  This 
was  carried,  and  the  township  from  that  time  has  been 
known  by  that  name.  It  is  situated  on  what  is 
known  as  the  Huron  Tract,  Kent  County,  London 
District,  and  is  the  next  north  of  the  township  of 
London.  Our  neighbors  on  the  south,  were  a  com- 
pany of  Irish  people,  who  owned  the  township,  and 
on  the  west  side  were  a  township  of  Welshmen,  a 
hardy,  industrious  and  enterprising  people. 

In  Wilberforce  there  were  no  white  inhabitants; 
the  land  appeared  level  and  handsome,  with  but  one 
stream  of  any  magnitude  running  through  it ;  this  was 
the  Oxsable,  which  was  dry  during  a  part  of  the 
year.  All  was  one  vast  forest  of  heavy  timber,  that 
would  compare  well  with  that  of  Western  New  York. 


PRODUCE     OF   THE   SETTLEMENT.  181 

Beech,  maple,  ash,  elm,  oak,  whitewood,  bass,  balm 
of  gilead,  &c.  The  soil  was  good  for  corn,  wheat, 
rye,  oats,  and  most  kinds  of  the  grain  and  vege- 
tables raised  in  New  York,  and  was  a  superior  grazing 
country,  about  fifteen  miles  from  London.  This  was 
a  village  containing  perhaps  thirty  dwellings,  and  two 
hundred  inhabitants ;  a  court-house  and  jail  all  under 
one  roof,  built  of  stone  and  plastered ;  small  doors  and 
windows  in  the  style  of  some  of  the  old  English 
castles.  London  was  built  in  the  forks,  or  between 
the  east  and  west  branches  of  the  river  Thames; 
hence,  you  would  hear  people  speak  of  "going  to  the 
forks,"  instead  of  the  village;  it  is  about  two  hundred 
miles  from  Buffalo,  and  the  nearest  port  between  the 
two  is  Port  Stanley,  thirty  miles  from  London. 

I  returned  from  Canada,  -where  I  had  seen  an 
oppressed  people  struggling  with  the  hardships  and 
privations  of  a  new  settlement ;  I  had  seen  wretched- 
ness in  some  places,  but  by  no  means  sufficient  to 
justify  the  report  made  by  Mr.  Lewis,  and  I  deter- 
mined I  would  remove  there  with  my  family,  and  do 
sll  in  my  power  to  assist  the  colored  people  in 
Canada. 

I  had  witnessed  a  disposition  on  the  part  of  some 
to  prevent  our  brethren  from  settling  in  Wilberforce, 
while  the  colonization]  sts  made  a  grand  argument  of 
it  in  favor  of  their  wicked  policy.  All  must  see  that 
it  became  a  necessity  with  those  who  fled  to  Canada 


182   PERSECUTION  OF  THE  COLORED  PEOPLE. 

to  save  themselves  from  constant  abuse  or  from 
Slavery,  and  in  some  instances  their  lives;  and  not 
because  they  admitted  the  justice  of  one  portion  of 
American  citizens  driving  another  from  their  native 
land ;  nor  their  right  to  colonize  them  anywhere  on 
the  habitable  globe. 

All  these  things  taken  into  consideration,  deter- 
mined me  to  join  them  in  the  enterprize  of  building 
up  an  asylum  for  the  oppressed,  where  our  colored 
friends  could  obtain  a  home,  and  where,  by  their 
industry  they  could  obtain  a  competency  for  •them- 
selves, besides  providing  a  safe  retreat  for  the  weary 
fugitive  from  Slavery ;  guiding  by  its  beacon  light  of 
liberty,  the  destitute  and  oppressed  everywhere,  to 
home  and  plenty. 

I  felt  willing  to  make  any  sacrifice  in  my  power  to 
serve  my  Lord,  by  administering  to  the  necessities  of 
my  down-trodden  countrymen.  How  far  my  desire 
has  been  accomplished  God  only  knows,  but  I  do 
know  that  the  purest  motives  influenced  me,  and  an 
honest  purpose  directed  my  steps  in  removing  to 
Wilberforce.  Not  so  with  all,  however.  Some  there 
were,  Judas-like,  who  "cared  not  for  the  poor;  but 
because  he  was  a  thief  and  had  the  bag,  and  bare 
what  was  put  therein,"  made  great  exertions  for  a 
time  in  favor  of  the  settlement.  It  too  soon  became 
apparent  that  to  make  money  was  the  prominent 
object  with  by  far  too  great  a  number  of  the  colonists; 
hence,  our  future  difficulties. 


CHAPTER     XX 


REMOVAL  TO  CANADA. 

IN"  1830,  I  closed  my  business  in  Rochester,  pre- 
paratory to  leaving  for  Canada.  Some  of  my 
friends  thought  I  had  better  remain  in  the  States  and 
direct  emigrants  to  Wilberforce;  while  others  were 
certain  I  could  benefit  them  more  by  going,  myself  at 
once, — the  latter  I  had  determined  to  do ;  but  as  the 
time  drew  near  for  me  to  start,  an  unaccountable 
gloominess  and  forebodings  of  evil  took  possession  of 
my  mind.  Doubts  of  the  practicability  of  the  under- 
taking began  to  arise,  though  nothing  unfavorable  had 
occurred.  To  the  throne  of  grace,  I  often  bore  the 
subject  and  besought  my  Heavenly  Father  to  enlighten 
my  mind,  and  direct  my  steps  in  duty's  path  regarding 
it ;  but  to  confess  the  truth,  I  never  received  any  great 
encouragement  from  that  source,  though  it  occupied 
my  mind  constantly.  During  the  hours  of  slumber  I 
was  continually  being  startled  by  frightful  dreams, — ■ 


184  REMOVAL  TO   CANADA. 

sometimes  I  thought  I  saw  a  monstrous  serpent  as 
large  as  a  log  stretched  across  the  road  between 
Rochester  and  the  Grenesee  River;  at  another  T 
thought  myself  in  the  air  so  high  that  I  could  have  a 
full  view  of  the  shores  of  Lake  Ontario,  and  they 
were  alive  with  snakes ;  and  then  I  saw  a  large  bird 
like  an  eagle,  rise  up  out  of  the  water  and  fly  toward 
the  south. 

Notwithstanding  these  omens,  I  turned  my  steps 
toward  "Wilberforce.  In  May,  1831,  we  bid  adieu  to 
our  friends  in  Rochester,  and  taking  passage  to 
Buffalo  on  a  canal  boat,  we  arrived  in  due  time,  and 
from  whence  we  sailed  for  Port  Stanley,  or  as  it  is 
sometimes  called,  Kettle  Creek.  It  took  a  week  to 
make  this  trip,  which,  with  favorable  wind  might  have 
been  made  in  two  days.  The  mouth  of  the  creek 
makes  a  safe  harbor  at  that  place,  where  there  is  also 
a  dock,  one  ware-house  and  several  farm  houses.  The 
place  was  then  very  wild  and  picturesque  in  its  appear- 
ance; we  did  not  stop  long,  however,  to  admire  its 
beauty,  but  engaged  a  farmer  to  take  us  on  to  London. 
Ten  miles  on  our  way,  and  we  came  to  a  newly  laid 
out  village,  called  St.  Thomas,  from  whence  we  pur- 
sued our  journey  through  a  new  country  to  London, 
where  we  arrived  tired  and  hungry,  and  put  up  for 
the  night  with  a  Mr.  Faden.  There  I  purchased  a 
span  of  horses  for  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  and 
putting  them  before  a  new  lumber  wagon  brought  on 


ARRIVAL  WITH  FAMILY  AT  WILBERFOROE.   185 

from  Eochester,  we  started  for  our  wild  and  new  home 
in  good  spirits,  at  which  we  arrived  in  good  time. 

The'  colony  was  comprised  of  some  fourteen  or 
fifteen  families,  and  numbered  some  over  fifty  persons 
in  all.  The  first  business  done  after  my  arrival,  was 
to  appoint  a  board  of  managers,  to  take  the  general 
oversight  of  all  the  public  business  of  the  colony. 
The  board  consisted  of  seven  men,  chosen  by  the 
settlers,  and  as  I  was  now  one  of  them,  they  gave  me 
the  office  of  President.  It  was  also  resolved  by  the 
board,  to  send  out  two  agents  for  the  purpose  of  soli- 
citing aid  for  the  erection  of  houses  for  worship,  and 
for  the  maintenance  of  schools  in  the  colony. 

The  Eev.  N.  Paul  was  chosen  one  of  their  agents, 
and  he  received  from  me  a  power  of  attorney, 
authorising  him  to  collect  funds  for  the  above  purposes 
in  England,  Ireland,  and  Scotland ;  the  other,  I.  Lewis 
was  empowered  to  solicit  and  collect  funds  for  the 
same  objects  in  the  United  States. 

Preparations  were  immediately  made  to  fit  Mr.  Paul 
out  for  his  mission  to  England,  from  whence  he  was  to 
remit  any  funds  he  might  receive  to  Arthur  Tappan, 
of  New  York  City;  first  to  pay  for  his  outfit,  and 
afterwards  to  the  treasurer  of  the  board  of  managers, 
for  the  support  of  schools  in  Wilberforce.  Mr.  Paul, 
however,  still  lacked  money  to  proceed  to  England, 
and  therefore  went  to  Eochester,  where  he  found  my 
old  and  tried  friend  Ev^rard  Peck ;   who  was  ever 


186  BEMOVAL  TO  CANADA. 

known  as  the  poor  man's  friend,  and  the  support  of 
the  weak  everywhere.  To  this  good  man,  whose 
memory  is  still  dear  to  thousands,  Mr.  Paul  showed 
his  power  of  attorney,  at  the  same  time  informing  him 
of  the  condition  and  wants  of  the  colony ;  and  as  was 
ever  his  wont,  when  help  was  needed,  his  purse, 
(though  not  one  of  the  heaviest),  was  at  his  service. 
Through  the  kind  influence  of  Mr.  Peck,  and  some  of 
the  colored  friends  in  that  city,  a  note  for  seven 
hundred  dollars  was  drawn  up,  signed  by  Mr.  P.  and 
cashed  at  the  Bank,  which  enabled  the  agent  to 
make  the  voyage  without  further  delay.  He  reached 
England,  and  collected  quite  large  sums  of  money,  but 
entirely  failed  in  the  remittance  of  any  sums,  either  to 
Mr.  Tappan  or  myself.  When  the  note  of  seven 
hundred  dollars  became  due,  Mr.  Peck  was  obliged 
to  pay,  and  lose  it.  It  was  out  of  my  power,  nor  had 
any  of  the  friends  the  means  to  do  any  thing  towards 
paying  it,  inasmuch  as  they  had  assisted  Paul  all  they 
could  and  got  nothing .  in  return.  There  was  one 
thing,  however,  that  the  reverend  gentleman  did  do, — 
he  wrote  me  from  time  to  time,  to  keep  me  advised  of 
the  success  of  his  mission,  and  once  informed  me  that 
he  had  then  twelve  hundred  dollars  on  hand ;  but  not 
a  farthing  could  we  get.  We  wrote  him  again  and 
again,  reminding  him  of  the  bank  debt,  and  the 
uneasiness  of  his  friends  on  account  of  it,  but  all  to  no 
purpose, — the  Atlantic  was  between  us,  and  he  was 


DISHONEST  AGENTS.  187 

making  money  too  easily,  to  like  to  be  interrupted. 
He  never  paid  one  dollar. 

Let  us  now  look  after  the  other  agent,  who  had 
likewise  "been  fitted  out,  to  prosecute  his  mission  in 
the  States.  That  he  collected  money  professedly  for 
the  assistance  of  the  colony,  is  too  well  known  to 
require  proof,  but  how  much,  we  could  not  determine; 
we  had  reason  to  believe,  however,  that  he  retained 
quite  a  large  sum.  He  would  neither  pay  it  over  to 
the  board,  nor  give  any  account  of  his  proceedings. 
Yery  little  did  he  ever  pay  over  to  the  aid  of  the 
colony  as  designed.  He  was  frequently  written  to, 
and  every  means  in  our  power  used,  to  induce  him  to 
give  some  account  of  his  mission,  but  in  vain;  he 
would  do  nothing  of  the  kind.  Things  went  on  in 
this  way  for  two  years,  when  it  became  evident  that 
he  had  no  intention  of  satisfying  the  minds  of  the 
settlers ;  and  farther,  that  he  meant  to  collect  what  he 
could,  and  use  it  as  he  pleased.  We  learned  too,  that 
when  abroad,  he  lived  extravagantly, — putting  up  at 
the  most  expensive  hotels,  giving  parties,  and  doing 
many  things,  not  only  beyond  his  means,  but  that 
brought  dishonor  on  the  cause  and  colony.  When  he 
returned  to  the  settlement,  he  would,  if  he  had  funds, 
make  presents  to  his  particular  friends  instead  of 
jysijmg  it  to  the  treasurer,  as  he  was  pledged  to  do, 
until  the  majority  of  the  colony  became  thoroughly 
disgusted  with  his  heartlessness  and  dishonesty.     It 


188  REMOVAL   TO   CANADA. 

was  also  perceivable  that  Lewis  and  Paul  both,  were 
getting  weary  of  the  solicitations  of  the  board  and 
complaints  of  the  settlers,  and  were  anxious  to  be  rid 
of  them,  and  enjoy  their  ill  gotten  gains  in  their  own 
way. 

It  was  never  intended  by  the  managers,  to  send  out 
agents  to  beg  money  to  be  divided  among  the  colo- 
nists ;  but  to  support  schools,  &c.  Most  of  the  settlers 
were  able  to  work  and  did  so ;  and  were  now  getting 
along  quite  pleasantly. 

Finally,  after  we  had  tried  every  means  in  vain,  to 
get  a  settlement  with  Lewis,  and  to  obtain  his  papers, 
there  was  nothing  more  we  could  do,  but  to  warn  the 
public  against  him,  by  publishing  the  facts  in  the 
case;  this  we  did  in  various  newspapers  of  Canada 
and  in  the  States.  An  article  inserted  in  the  "Eoches- 
ter  Observer,"  to  that  effect,  was  like  throwing  a 
lighted  match  into  a  keg  of  powder.  The  excitement 
was  intense  on  the  part  of  Lewis  and  his  friends,  who 
were  joined  by  the  friends  of  "N".  Paul,  to  destroy,  if 
they  could,  the  board  of  managers.  I,  however,  being 
the  only  member  of  that  devoted*  board,  who  happened 
to  be  extensively  known  in  the  States,  their  anathemas 
were  all  poured  out  on  me,  and  all  their  energies 
brought  forward  to  insure  my  destruction.  They 
were  few  in  number,  it  is  true,  but  they  had  money, 
and  I  had  little  to  spend  in  litigation ;  besides,  Lewis 
was  in  debt,  and  his  creditors  did  not  like  to  see  his 


MALIGNITY  OF  AGENTS.  189 

means  of  paying  them  swept  away.  The  Canadians 
seemed  to  think  there  was  no  harm  done  if  Lewis  did 
get  money  out  of  the  "Yankees,"  as  long  as  it  came 
into  their  hands  at  last,  and  so,  on  the  whole,  they 
raised  a  tremendous  storm,  designed,  however,  to 
sweep  nobody  away  but  myself;  and  I  have  con- 
tinued to  this  day,  notwithstanding  all  their  artful 
malignity.  Nothing,  I  am  persuaded,  could  have 
saved  me  from  imprisonment  at  that  time,  had  I  not 
possessed  a  high  reputation  for  truth  and  honesty 
during  my  previous  sojourn  in  the  colony. 

Lewis  had  dealt  somewhat  extensively  with  Mr. 
Jones,  who  was  the  principal  agent  for  the  Canada 
Company;  but  failing  to  fulfil  his  agreement,  regard- 
ing the  payment  for  a  large  tract  of  land,  it  so 
exasperated  Mr.  Jones,  that  he  declared  he  would 
have  nothing  to  do  with  any  of  the  colored  people; 
and  so  when  I  wanted  to  buy  a  lot  of  land,  he  would 
not  sell  it  to  me  because  he  so  despised  Lewis.     , 

How  much  harm  can  one  wicked  man  do!  and  yet 
it  cannot  be  right  to  judge  the  character  of  a  whole 
class  or  community  by  that  of  one  person. 


CHAPTER     XXI. 


ROUGHING  IT  IN  THE  WILDS  OF  CANADA. 

THE  "Canada  Company,"  of  which  I  have  so 
frequently  spoken,  was  an  association  of  wealthy 
gentlemen,  residing  in  England;  something  like  the 
East  India  Company,  especially  regarding  the  title  of 
lands.  They  had  sent  on  their  agent  and  purchased  a 
large  tract  of  land  known  as  the  "Huron  Tract," 
extending  from  London  to  Lake  Huron,  where  they 
laid  out  a  village,  named  Groderich,  sixty  miles  distant 
from  Wilberforce.  With  this  company,  Mr.  Lewis 
had  contracted  for  a  township  of  land,  as  agent  for  the 
Cincinnati  refugees ;  but  failing  to  meet  the  demand, 
the  company  kindly  extended  the  time  of  payment ; 
but  when  that  time  also  passed  without  receiving  any 
thing  from  Lewis,  the  general  agent,  Mr.  Jones 
became  so  indignant,  that  he  utterly  refused  to  sell  a 
foot  of  land  to  any  colored  person  whatever.     This 


LIBERALITY  OP  THE  SOCIETY  OF  FRIENDS.     19.1 

proved  to  be  one  of  the  greatest  detriments  to  the 
prosperity  of  the  colony  it  ever  met. 

The  Society  of  Friends  at  this  time,  however,  with 
commendable  sympathy  for  the  oppressed  and  abused 
colored  residents  of  Cincinnati,  and  with  their  prover- 
bial liberality,  raised  a  sum  of  money  sufficient  to 
purchase  eight  hundred  acres  of  land  of  the  Canada 
Company  for  the  benefit  of  the  colony.  The  funds 
were  placed  in  the  hands  of  one  of  their  number, 
Frederick  Stover,  who  went  to  Canada  as  their  agent, 
purchased  the  land,  and  settled  colored  people  upon  it, 
which  comprised  nearly  all  of  the  Wilberforce  settle- 
ment. This  occurred  before  I  settled  in  Canada,  and 
the  consequence  was,  when  I  desired  to  purchase  land, 
none  could  be  obtained.  At  the  time,  however,  of 
which  I  am  speaking,  the  Canada  Company  were 
constructing  a  road  through  their  possessions,  some 
seventy  miles  in  length,  and  the  principal  contractor, 
Mr.  Ingersoll,  had  agreed  to  take  land  in  part  pay- 
ment for  his  services  on  the  road.  In  accordance  with 
this  agreement,  he  accepted  one  lot  of  land  situated 
within  the  Wilberforce  settlement,  which  he  agreed  to 
sell  to  Mr.  Lewis  for  twenty-five  dollars.  Mr.  Lewis, 
knowing  that  I  was  anxious  to  purchase,  accepted  the 
offer,  and  then  came  and  showed  the  contract,  offering 
it  to  me  on  condition  that  I  paid  him  the  twenty-five 
dollars  which  he  had  just  paid  Mr.  Ingersoll.  This  I 
was  glad  to  do ;  I  paid  the  demand ;  took  an  assign- 


192        HOUGHING  IT  IN  THE  WILDS  OF  CANADA. 

ment  on  the  back  of  the  receipt,  and  passed  into 
immediate  possession  of  the  land.  He  at  the  same 
time  requested  me  to  take  up  a  note  of  twenty-five 
dollars  for  him;  which  I  did,  on  his  promising  to 
refund  the  money  in  a  short  time. 

I  commenced  laboring  on  the  wild  land  I  had  pur- 
chased; cleared  some  ten  acres,  which  in  consequence 
of  its  being  so  heavily  timbered,  cost  mc  at  least 
twenty-five  dollars  per  acre ;  built  a  house  and  barn — 
supposing  myself  its  legal  possessor, — until  I  chanced 
to  meet  Mr.  Ingersoll,  who  informed  me  that  Mr. 
Jones  had  refused  to  sell  him  the  land  to  be  disposed 
of  to  a  colored  person;  that  he  had  duly  informed 
Lewis  of  the  fact,  and  had  returned  to  him  the  twenty- 
five  dollars  received.  Not  a  word  of  this,  had  Lewis 
communicated  to  me,  though  he  knew  I  was  making 
expensive  improvements,  in  the  faith  that  I  was  its 
only  owner.  Instead  of  atoning  for  the  wrong  already 
done  me,  he  made  it  the  basis  of  a  deeper  injury. 

After  one  year's  residence  in  Wilberforce,  I  found 
it  necessary  to  return  to  Rochester  to  settle  some 
unfinished  business ;  and  when  on  my  way  thither  I 
stopped  at  London,  where  I  found  Lewis,  who  had 
not  only  preceded  me  but  had  taken  out  a  cajjias,  for 
forty  pounds  currency.  I  was  therefore  obliged  to  get 
bail  for  my  appearance  at  court,  after  which  I  pursued 
my  journey.  - 


RETURN  TO   ROCHESTER  ON   BUSINESS.  193 

On  my  arrival  in  Rochester,  I  found  business  at  a 
stand ;  and  the  community  in  a  state  of  excitement 
and  alarm,  on  account  of  that  fell  destroyer,  the 
cholera.  This  was  its  first  visit  to  the  United  States, 
and  the  fearful  havoc  it  was  making,  spread  terror  and 
consternation  throughout  the  land.  I  returned  to 
Canada;  but  found  on  my  arrival  at  London,  that 
"the  pestilence  that  walketh  at  noon-day,"  had  pre- 
ceded me,  and  taken  from  that  village  my  friend,  Mr. 
Ingersoll,  with  several  others.  So  great  had  been  the 
alarm,  that  instead  of  my  appearing  at  court  as  I 
expected  to  do,  I  found  it  adjourned,  and  the  judge 
returned  to  his  home. 

I  hastened  on  to  Wilberforce,  which  had  fortunately 
escaped  the  fearful  scourge,  with  terrible  apprehen- 
sions. 

Having  a  little  spare  time,  I  went  out  with  my  rifle, 
in  search  of  deer ;  but  soon  came  upon  a  large  wolf, 
which  I  wounded  with  the  first  shot;  he,  however, 
sprang  aside  and  was  gone.  On  looking  about  for 
him  I  espied  another ! — reloading  my  rifle,  I  fired,  and 
he  fell  dead  at  my  feet,  while  my  dog  at  the  same 
time  I  heard  barking  furiously.  Having  dispatched 
this  second  intruder,  I  saw  that  my  dog  had  the  first 
one,  entangled  in  the  branches  of  a  fallen  tree.  I 
searched  for  my  balls,  and  was  vexed  to  find  that  I 
had  left  them  at  home.  In  this  predicament  I  cut 
with  my  knife,  a  knot  from  a  beech  limb,  put  it  in  my 
I 


194      ROUGHING   IT  IN  THE  WILDS  OF  CANADA. 

rifle,  and  took  deadly  aim  at  the  enraged  wolf.  The 
wooden  ball  struck  him  between  the  eyes  and  killed 
him  on  the  spot. 

The  two  dead  animals,  with  their  skins,  I  sold  for 
nine  dollars  and  a  half, — making  pretty  good  wages 
for  a  few  hours  labor. 

Hunting  was  very  generally  pursued  by  the  settlers, 
with  great  earnestness  and  considerable  skill.  The 
forest  abounded  with  deer,  wolves,  bears,  and  other 
wild  animals.  Bears  were  plenty,  and  very  trouble- 
some because  so  dangerously  tame.  One  day,  our 
children  had  built  for  themselves  a  play-house,  a  few 
rods  from  the  door,  and  were  enjoying  their  play 
when  they  were  called  in  to  dinner.  A  moment  after, 
I  observed  one  of  the  settlers  gazing  intently  at  the 
play-house;  I  called  to  know  what  so  attracted  his 
attention,  and  he  informed  me  that  an  old  bear,  with 
three  cubs,  had  just  then  taken  possession  of  the  play- 
house. And  sure  enough  there  they  were  !  knocking 
about  among  the  dishes,  and  munching  the  crumbs  of 
bread  which  the  children  had  left.  The  man  was  sup- 
plied with  a  loaded  rifle  and  urged  to  shoot  them,  but 
he  begged  to  be  excused  from  a  pitched  battle  with  so 
many ;  and  the  bears  leisurely  took  their  departure  for 
the  woods  without  molestation.  The  play-house, 
however,  was  soon  deserted  by  the  children  after 
these  unbidden  guests  had  made  so  free  with  it ;  and 
we  were  ourselves  somewhat  alarmed  for  the  safety 


VISITED  BY  BEARS  AT  WILBERFORCE.  195 

of  our  children,  who  were  accustomed  to  roam  in  the 
edge  of  the  forest,  and  make  swings  of  the  luxuriant 
grape  vines. 

But  such  incidents  are  common  in  a  new  country, 
surrounded  as  we  were  by  a  dense  wilderness. 


CHAPTEE     XXII. 


NARROW  ESCAPE  OF  A  SMUGGLER. 

FEOM  tlie  time  I  first  settled  in  Wilberforce,  my 
house  had  ever  been  open  to  travelers  and 
strangers ;  but  a  conversation  I  happened,  to  overhear, 
led  me  to  take  a  course  different  from  what  I  had  at 
first  intended.  I  was  at  a  public  house  about  twenty 
miles  from  home,  when  I  heard  the  landlord  advising 
his  guest  to  eat  heartily,  for,  said  he,  "you  will  find 
nothing  more  worthy  of  your  attention,  until  you 
reach  Wilberforce.  When  you  arrive  at  that  settle- 
ment,  inquire  for  A.  Steward,  from  the  States,  and  he 
will  give  you  a  meal  fit  for  a  prince."  I  began  to 
reflect  on  the  subject  and  concluded,  inasmuch  as 
people  would  send  company  to  me,  it  would  be  better 
to  make  some  preparation  for  entertaining  them.  I  had 
plenty  of  furniture,  and  all  I  needed  was  a  larger 
supply  of  food,  to  commence  keeping  a  tavern.     This 


A  STRANGE  VISITOR.  197 

was  easily  obtained,  and  I  opened  a  public  bouse 
which  was  well  patronized. 

One  day  while  I  was  absent  from  home,  a  man 
drove  to  the  door  the  finest  span  of  horses,  I  think  I 
ever  saw, — black  as  jet,  with  proudly  arched  necks, 
and  glossy  tails  that  nearly  swept  the  ground.  The 
gentleman  sprang  from  his  carriage,  bounded  through 
the  open  door,  and  in  the  most  excited  manner,  began 
to  inquire  "who  owns  this  establishment?  When 
will  he  return  ?  Can  I  be  accommodated  ?  Can  I  see 
your  barn  ?  "  &c.  The  stable  boy  took  him  to  the 
barn,  from  whence  he  soon  returned ;  his  face  flushed, 
and  breathing  so  heavily  as  to  be  heard  all  through 
the  apartment ;  trembling  so  violently  that  he  could 
scarcely  speak  at  all, — but  made  out  to  inquire,  "  if 
there  was  not  some  place  besides  the  barn  where  he 
could  put  his  horses  ?  "  He  was  told  that  there  was  a 
small  shelter  built  for  cows,  in  bad  weather,  and  the 
next  moment  he  was  examining  it.  In  a  very  short 
time  he  had  his  horses  and  carriage  stowed  away  in 
the  cow-shed.  He  acted  like  a  crazy  man ;  but  when 
he  had  secured  his  horses,  he  re-entered  the  house  and 
frankly  apologized  for  his  conduct.  "I  may  as  well 
tell  you  the  truth,"  said  he;  "I  am  suspected  of 
smuggling  goods ;  a  reward  is  offered  for  my  arrest, 
and  the  constables  are  on  my  track,  in  pursuit  of  me. 

My  name  is  Cannouse,  and  I  am  from  M ,  in 

Ontario  County." 


198  NARROW  ESCAPE  OF  A  SMUGGLER. 

But  perhaps  they  can  not  prove  yon  guilty  of 
smuggling,  said  I,  in  an  after  conversation. 

"Ah,"  said  he,  "there  is  for  me  no  such  hope  or 
probability;  I  have  been  engaged  for  the  last  few 
months  in  the  sale  of  dress-goods  and  broad-cloths, 
and  my  exposure  and  flight  is  the  consequence  of  my 
own  folly.  While  in  the  village  of  St.  Catharines,  I 
took  a  young  girl  out  to  ride,  after  she  had  engaged 
to  accompany  another  young  fellow,  which  of  course 
offended  him ;  and  he  being  too  well  posted  up  on  my 
affairs,  went  directly  to  the  custom  house  officer  and 
informed  against  me.  I  was  sitting  in  the  parlor, 
perfectly  at  ease,  when  a  young  man,  a  relative  of  the 
young  lady  in  question,  burst  into  the  room,  shouting, 
•  Fly !  fly !  for  your  life  !  The  officers  are  upon  you ! ' 
And  I  did  fly ;  with  barely  time  to  reach  the  woods, 
for  as  I  sprang  through  the  back  door,  the  officers 
entered  through  the  front  door.  My  horses  were  my 
first  consideration ;  they  had  been  raised  by  my  father, 
and  should  I  lose  them,  I  should  never  dare  to  meet 
him  again.  In  my  hasty  flight,  I  engaged  the  young 
man  to  conceal  them  till  night,  and  then  to  drive  them 
to  a  certain  place  where  I  would  meet  him.  This  he 
did,  and  I  kept  on  my  flight  until  I  came  to  the  house 
of  a  friend,  where  I  halted  to  make  inquiries.  The 
gentleman  had  just  come  from  London,  and  had 
seen  handbills  at  every  conspicuous  place,  describing 
me  and  my  horses.     I  asked  him  what  I  should  do  ? 


THE   SMUGGLER   PURSUED.  199 

He  said,  'you  are  not  safe  a  moment;  there  is  no 
hope  but  in  flight ;  avoid  the  main  road,  and  get  to 
the  colony  if  you  can;  if  you  succeed,  go  to  A. 
Steward ;  he  is  an  upright  man  and  will  never  betray 
you  for  money.'  And  here  I  am :  if  I  am  arrested, 
six  months  imprisonment,  three  hundred  dollars  fine, 
and  the  forfeiture  of  my  father's  valuable  and  favorite 
horses,  will  be  my  portion.  I  have  had  no  regular 
meal  for  the  last  three  days,  and  my  head  aches 
violently." 

"We  gave  him  some  refreshment,  and  conducted  him 
to  a  room,  assuring  him  that  he  should  have  it  to 
himself.  All  remained  quiet  until  midnight,  when  a 
man  knocked  cautiously  at  our  door.  I  opened  it 
myself,  and  a  gentleman,  looking  carefully  about  the 
place,  inquired, 

"  Are  you  full?" 

"ffo^saidL 

"  Have  you  any  travelers  here  to  night  ?  " 

"Yes." 

"How  many?" 

"Two." 

"  Where  are  they  ?  " 

"  In  this  room ;  walk  in,  sir." 

He  took  the  light  from  my  hand,  and  stepping 
lightly  up  to  a  bed,  where  two  travelers  were  quietly 
sleeping,  he  closely  examined  their  faces.  He  soon 
returned  the  light,  and  without  further  inquiry  retired 


200  NARROW  ESCAPE  OP  A  SMUGGLER 

from  the  house.  When  his  companions  came  up,  I 
distinctly  heard  him  tell  them  that  the  smuggler  was 
not  there. 

"You  may  be  mistaken,"  said  the  other,  "and  we 
must  search  the  barn  for  his  horses." 

This  they  did  thoroughly,  after  procuring  a  lantern ; 
but  without  finding  any  thing  to  reward  their  diligent 
search ;  and  they  finally  drove  off. 

When  they  had  gone,  Cannouse  groaned  most 
bitterly,  and  trembled  from  head  to  foot  at  the 
thought  of  his  narrow  escape.  The  next  day  an 
officer  rode  up  to  where  the  children  were  playing, 
with  a  handbill  which  he  read,  and  inquired  if  they 
had  seen  a  person  bearing  that  description,  pass  that 
day?  They  answered  negatively,  and  he  rode  on. 
The  poor  frightened  Cannouse  stayed  with  us  a  week; 
and  nearly  every  day  during  the  time,  the  house  and 
barn  were  searched  for  him.  The  children  kept 
watch,  and  when  they  saw  any  one  coming  they 
would  let  him  know,  in  time  to  take  himself  and 
horses  into  a  thicket  near  by.  When  he  thought 
pursuit  was  over,  he  started  to  leave ;  but  when,  in  a 
half  hour  after,  a  posse  of  men  drove  up  to  my  door, 
nourishing  their  handbills,  I  thought  it  all  over  with 
Cannouse.  I  told  them  that  he  was  not  there ;  but 
they  chose  to  have  another  search,  and  when,  they 
found  nothing,  the  officer  sprang  into  his  carriage, 
exclaiming,  "come  on,  boys;    we'll  soon   have   him 


THE  SMUGGLER  MAKES  GOOD  HIS  ESCAPE.     201 

now ;  we  have  tracked  him  here,  and  he  can't  be  far 
off." 

Cannouse  had  left  us,  feeling  quite  secure ;  but  he 
had  traveled  but  a  short  distance,  when  he  observed  a 
horse  shoe  loose,  and  to  get  it  fastened  he  drove  down 
to  a  blacksmith's  shop,  Which  happened  to  stand  at 
the  foot  of  a  hill ;  and  between  it  and  the  highway 
there  had  been  left  standing  a  clump  of  trees  which 
nearly  hid  it  from  view.  While  there,  getting  his 
horse  shod,  the  officers  passed  him  unobserved,  and 
he  finally  escaped. 

Some  time  after,  a  gentleman  called  on  us  who  had 
seen  Cannouse  in  Michigan,  where  he  was  doing  well. 
He  had  succeeded  in  reaching  Detroit,  from  whence 
he  passed  safely  to  his  home ;  but  probably  learned  a 
lesson  not  to  be  forgotten.  He  was  a  talented  young 
man — one  who  would  have  felt  deeply  the  disgrace 
of  imprisonment, — and  it  was  indeed  a  pleasure  to  me 
to  do  what  I  could,  to  effect  his  release  from  an 
unenviable  position.  I  would  never  have  betrayed 
him ;  but  happily  I  was  not  asked  directly  for  him, 
until  he  was  gone  from  my  house  and  protection. 


CHAPTER    XXIII 


NARRATIVE  OF  TWO  FUGITIVES  FROM  VIRGINIA. 

THE  settlers  in  "Wilberforce,  were  in  general,  in- 
dustrious and  thrifty  farmers :  they  cleared  their 
land,  sowed  grain,  planted  orchards,  raised  cattle,  and 
in  short,  showed  to  the  world  that  they  were  in  no 
way  inferior  to  the  white  population,  when  given  an 
equal  chance  with  them.  In  proof  of  this  let  me  say. 
that  it  was  uniformly  the  practice  of  persons  traveling 
from  London  to  Groderich,  to  remain  in  our  settlement 
over  night,  in  preference  to  going  on  to  find  entertain- 
ment among  their  own  class  of  people.  And  we 
believe  that  the  whites  are  bound  to  admit,  that  the 
experiment  of  the  Wilberforce  colony  proves  that  the 
colored  man  can  not  only  take  care  of  himself,  but  is 
capable  of  improvement;  as  industrious  and  intelli- 
gent as  themselves,  when  the  yoke  is  taken  from  off 
their  necks,  and  a  chance  given  them  to  exercise  their 
abilities.     True,  many  of  them  had  just  escaped  from 


APPEAKANCE  OF  A  SLAVE  DEALEK.  203 

cruex  task-masters ;  ignorant  of  almost  every  thing 
but  the  lash, — but  the  air  of  freedom  so  invigorated 
and  put  new  life  into  their  weary  bodies,  that  they 
soon  became  intelligent  and  thrifty. 

Among  the  settlers  might  be  gathered  many  a 
thrilling  narrative,  of  suffering  and  hair-breadth 
escapes  from  the  slave-land, — one  of  which  I  will 
tell  as  'twas  told  to  me. 

In  a  small  rude  cabin,  belonging  to  one  of  the  large 
plantations  in  Yirginia,  sat  at  a  late  hour  of  the  night, 
an  afflicted  slave-man  and  his  devoted  wife,  sad  and 
weeping.  At  length  the  husband  repeated  what  he 
before  had  been  saying : 

"  I  tell  you,  wife,  we  must  flee  from  this  place,  With- 
out delay.  Oh,  I  cannot  endure  the  idea  of  seeing 
you  sold  for  the  Southern  market,  to  say  nothing  of 
myself;  and  we  shall  most  likely  be  separated,  which 
I  can't  bear!  Oh,  Kosa,  the  thought  distracts  me, — 
I  can't  bear  it!  " 

"  Are  you  sure,"  said  Eosa,  "that  master  thinks  of 
such  a  frightful  doom  for  us?  " 

"  Oh  yes,  I  know  it;  I  heard  master  to-day  making 
a  bargain  with  the  slave  dealer  that  has  been  hanging 
about  here  so  long;  and  when  it  was  finished,  I  heard 
him  reading  over  the  list,  and  our  names,  wife,  are 
the  first  on  it." 

"  Oh,  dear !  "  sobbed  the  wife,  "  we  shall  certainly 


204  NARRATIVE   OF    TWO    FUGITIVES. 

be  retaken  and  whipped  to  death;  or  else  we  shall 
starve  in  the  wilderness!  Oh,  it  is  very  hard  to  be 
compelled  to  leave  all  our  friends  and  the  old  planta- 
tion where  we  were  born  !  " 

"Yes;  it  is  both  hard  and  unjust,"  said  Joe,  and  an 
indignant  frown  contracted  his  brow, — "here  is  our 
birth-place,  and  here,  for  forty  years  have  I  toiled 
early  and  late  to  enrich  my  master ;  and  you,  my  poor 
wife,  a  few  years  less ;  and  now  we  are  to  be  sold, 
separated,  and  all  without  a  choice  of  our  own.  We 
must  go,  Eosa.     If  we  die,  let  us  die  together !  " 

"It  shall  be  as  you  say,  Joe,"  she  replied,  "but  it 
frightens  me  to  think  of  the  hardships  of  the  way, 
and  the  danger  of  being  recaptured." 

"  Courage,  wife :  no  fate  can  be  worse  than  the  one 
designed  for  us  ;  and  we  have  no  time  to  lose  To- 
morrow night,  then,  we  must  make  the  first  effort  to 
gain  our  liberty,  and  leave  all  that  is  dear  to  us  except 
each  other ! "  And  they  retired  to  rest,  but  not  to 
sleep. 

The  following  night  was  very  dark  ;  and  as  soon  as 
all  was  quiet  on  the  plantation,  they  stole  out  of  their 
cabin  and  stealthily  crept  over  the  ground  until  they 
reached  the  highway ;  and  then,  guided  only  by  the 
north  star,  they  made  their  way  to  the  nearest  woods. 
So  fearful  had  they  been  of  being  suspected,  that  they 
took  no  provision  of  any  kind  with  them.     All  night 


TEIALS   AND  HUNGER   IN  THE   WILDERNESS.    205 

they  plunged  forward  through  the  tangled  thicket  and 
under-brush,  sorrounded  by  thick  darkness,  glancing 
now  and  then  upward  to  their  only  light, 

"Star  of  the  North  I  though  night  winds 'drift  the  fleecy 
drapery  of  the  sky, 

Between  thy  lamp  and  thee,  I  lift,  yea,  lift  with  hope 
my  sleepless  eye." 

When  day  dawned  they  threw  their  weary  bodies 
on  the  ground,  famished  and  thirsty,  and  waited  for 
the  darkness  to  again  conceal  them  while  they  pursued 
their  journey.  The  second  day  of  their  flight,  the 
pain  of  hunger  became  almost  beyond  endurance. 
They  found  a  few  roots  which  relieved  them  a  little ; 
but  frequently  they  lost  their  way, '  and  becoming  be- 
wildered, knew  not  which  way  to  go ;  they  pushed  on, 
however,  determined  to  keep  as  far  from  their  pursuers 
as  possible.  Their  shoes  were  soon  worn  out;  but 
bare-footed,  bare-headed,  and  famishing  with  hunger, 
they  pressed  forward,  until  the  fourth  day,  when  they 
found  themselves  too  weak  to  proceed  further.  Hope, 
the  anchor  of  the  soul,  had  failed  them !  They 
were  starving  in  a  dense  forest !  JSTo  track  or  path 
could  they  find,  and  even  had  they  seen  a  human 
being,  they  would  have  been  more  terrified  than  at 
the  sight  of  a  wild  beast ! 

Poor  Eosa,  could  go  no  farther — her  strength  was' 
all  gone — and  as  her  emaciated  husband  laid  her  on 


206  NARRATIVE   OF  TWO  FUGITIVES. 

the  cold  earth,  he  exclaimed,  "  Oh,  dear  God !  must 
we,  after  all  our  efforts,  starve  in  this  dark  wilder- 
ness !  Beside  his  fainting  wife,  lie  finally  stretched 
himself,  sheltered  only  by  a  few  bushes,  and  tried  to 
compose  himself  to  die!  but  resting  a  few  moments 
revived  him,  and  he  aroused  himself,  to  make  one 
more  effort  for  life !  "  Stay  you  here,  wife,  and  I  will 
try  once  more  to  find  the  highway ;  it  cannot  be  far 
from  here ;  and  if  I  am  taken,  I  will  submit  to  my  fate 
without  a  struggle ;  we  can  but  die."  So  saying,  he 
left  her,  and  began  to  reconnoitre  the  country  around 
them.  Much  sooner  than  he  expected  he  emerged 
from  the  wood,  and  not  far  distant  he  saw  a  house  in 
the  direction  from  whence  he  came ;  being,  however, 
as  most  of  the  slaves  are,  superstitious,  he  thought  it 
would  be  a  bad  omen  to  turn  backward,  and  so 
continued  to  look  about  him.  It  seemed,  he  said,  that 
some  unseen  power  held  him,  for  though  starving  as 
he  was,  he  could  not  take  a  step  in  that  direction ;  and 
at  last  as  he  turned  around,  to  his  great  joy,  he  saw 
another  dwelling  a  little  way  off,  and  toward  that  he 
hastened  his  now  lightened  footsteps.  With  a  palpi- 
tating heart,  he  approached  the  door  and  knocked 
cautiously.  The  man  of  the  house  opened  it,  and  as 
soon  as  he  saw  him,  he  said,  "You  are  a  fugitive  slave, 
but  be  not  alarmed,  come  in ;  no  harm  shall  befall  you 
here ;  I  shall  not  inquire  from  whence  you  came ;  it  is 
enough  for  me  to  know  that  you  are  a  human  being 


THE  GOOD  SAMARITAN.  207 

in  distress ;  consider  me  your  friend,  and  let  me  know 
your  wants." 

" Bread!  Oh,  for  a  morsal  of  bread!"  said  the 
famished  creature,  while  his  hitherto  wild  and  sunken 
eyes,  began  to  distil  grateful  tears.  The  "good 
Samaritan"  stepped  to  another  apartment  and  brought 
him  a  piece  of  bread,  which  he  expected  to  see  him 
devour  at  once,  but  instead,  he  looked  at  it  wistfully, 
literally  devouring  it  with  his  eyes ;  turned  it  over 
and  over,  and  at  last  stammered  out,  "  my  good  master, 
without  a  piece  of  bread  for  my  poor  starving  wife,  I 
can  never  swallow  this,  tempting  as  it  is." 

" Poor  man,"  said  his  benefactor,  "can  it  be  that 
you  have  a  wife  with  you,  wretched  as  yourself?  " 
He  brought  out  a  loaf  of  bread,  some  cheese  and  meat, 
and  while  the  fugitive  was  preparing  to  return,  the 
kind  gentleman  said,  "I  am  glad  you  came  to  me; 
had  you  called  at  the  house  you  first  saw,  you  would 
have  been  betrayed,  and  immediately  arrested.  You 
must  remember,"  he  continued,  "that  you  are  young 
and  valuable  slaves,  and  that  your  master  will  make 
every  effort  in  his  power  to  find  you,  especially  since 
he  has  made  a  sale  of  you.  To-day  and  to-night, 
remain  in  the  woods,  and  the  next  morning  you 
may  come  to  me,  if  all  is  quiet;  should  I  see  danger 
approaching  you,  I  will  warn  you  of  it  by  the  crack 
my  rifle.  Go  now,  to  your  poor  wife,  and  listen  for 
the  signal  of  danger ;  if  you  hear  none,  come  to  me  at 


208  NARRATIVE  OF  TWO  FUGITIVES. 

the  appointed  time."  He  returned,  and  after  feeding 
his  helpless  Eosa,  she  revived,  and  soon  felt  quite 
comfortable  and  grateful. 

When  the  morning  came  for  them  to  leave  their 
retreat,  thej  listened  intently,  but  hearing  nothing, 
Joe  started  for  the  residence  of  his  friend.  He  had 
been  gone  but  a  short  time,  when  his  wife,  who  lay  in 
the  bushes,  thought  she  heard  the  tramp  of  horses, — 
she  crept  nearer  the  highway,  and  peeping  through 
the  bush — Oh,  horror!  what  was  her  consternation 
and  sickening  fear,  to  find  herself  gazing  upon  the 
well-known  features  of  her  old  master,  and  two  of 
his  neighbors,  all  armed  to  the  teeth!  Her  heart 
seemed  to  stand  still,  and  the  blood  to  chill  in  her 
veins.  Had  she  been  discovered  she  would  have  been 
an  easy  prey,  for  she  declared  that  she  could  not  move 
a  step.  In  the  meantime  her  husband  had  got  about 
half  way  to  the  residence  of  his  preserver,  when  his 
quick  ear  detected  the  sound  made  by  the  feet  of 
horses,  and  as  he  stopped  to  listen  more  intently,  the 
sharp  crack  of  a  rifle  sent  him  bounding  back  to  his 
concealment  in  the  forest. 

The  party  of  horsemen  rode  on  to  the  dwelling  of 
the  kind  hearted  gentleman,  and  inquired  whether  he 
had  seen  any  fugitive  slaves  pass  that  way. 

"I  saw,"  said  he,  "a  man  and  woman  passing 
rapidly  along  the  road,  but  do  not  know  whether 
they  were  fugitives,  as  I  did  not  see  their  faces."    The 


ARRIVAL  AND  SETTLEMENT  IN  CINCINNATI.     209 

human  blood-hound,  thanked  the  gentleman  for  the 
information,  and  immediately  set  out  in  pursuit;  but, 
just  as  the  informant  had  intended,  in  a  direction 
opposite  to  that  the  slaves  had  taken.  That  night,  Joe 
and  Eosa  visited  the  house  of  their  benefactor,  where 
they  were  supplied  with  clothing  and  as  much  food 
as  they  could  carry ;  and  next  day  they  went  on  their 
way  rejoicing.  They  settled  in  Cincinnati,  where  they 
lived  happily,  until  the  mob  drove  them  with  others, 
to  the  "Wilberforce  settlement,  where  they  are  in  no 
danger  of  the  auction  block,  or  of  a  Southern  market ; 
and  are  as  much  devoted  to  each  other  as  ever. 


CHAPTEE    XXIY. 


PLEASANT  RE-UNION  OF  OLD  AND  TRIED  FRIENDS. 

IT  is  well  known  to  those  who  have  assisted  in 
clearing  land  in  a  new  country,  that  bears,  who 
are  not  Jews,  are  very  troublesome,  and  levy  a  heavy 
tax  on  the  settlers,  to  supply  themselves  with  pork — 
their  favorite  food.  One  old  bear  in  particular,  had 
for  a  long  time  annoyed  the  colonists,  by  robbing  their 
hog-stys  almost  every  night.  We  failed  in  all  our 
plans  to  destroy  his  life,  until  a  woman  saw  him  one 
day,  walking  at  ease  through  the  settlement.  A  half 
dozen  of  us  gave  chase  immediately,  and  came  up 
with  him  after  traveling  two  miles.  So  anxious  was  I 
to  kill  him,  that  I  fired  at  first  sight  and  missed  him, 
which  gave  us  another  two  miles  chase.  When,  how- 
ever, we  came  up,  he  was  seated  on  a  branch  of  a  tree, 
leisurely  surveying  us  and  the  dogs,  with  great  com- 
placency. The  contents  of  my  rifle  brought  him  to  the 
ground,  and  stirred  his  blood  for  battle.     One  blow 


VISITED  BY  WHITE  MEN  IN  DISGUISE.  211 

from  Iris  powerful  paw,  sent  my  fine  greyhound  some 
yards  distant,  sprawling  upon  the  ground,  and  when 
he  renewed  the  attack,  Bruin  met  him  with  extended 
jaws,  taking  and  munching  his  head  in  his  mouth. 
My  rifle  was  now  reloaded,  and  the  second  shot  killed 
him  on  the  spot.  We  tied  his  legs  together,  and  lifting 
him  on  a  pole,  marched  in  triumph  into  the  settle- 
ment, where  guns  were  discharged  and  cheers  given, 
in  approbation  of  our  success. 

One  winter's  evening  we  had  drawn  closely  around 
the  blazing  fire,  for  the  air  was  piercing  cold  without, 
and  the  snow  four  feet  deep  on  a  level.  Now  and 
then,  a  traveler  might  be  seen  on  snow-shoes]  but 
though  our  cabin  was  situated  on . the  king's  highway, 
we  seldom  saw  company  on  such  a  night  as  this. 
While  the  wind  whistled,  and  the  snow  drifted  about 
our  dwelling,  we  piled  the  wood  higher  in  our  ample 
fire-place,  and  seated  ourselves  again,  to  resume  the 
conversation,  when  I  was  startled  by  a  loud  and 
furious  knocking  at  the  door.  I  opened  it  to  what  I 
supposed  to  be  three  Indians.  Their  costume  was 
that  of  the  red  man ;  but  the  voice  of  him  who 
addressed  me  was  not  that  of  an  Indian.  "  Can  you 
keep  three  poor  devils  here  to  night?"  said  he,  and 
when  I  made  further  inquiry,  he  repeated  the  same 
question;  "we  can  sleep,"  he  continued,  "on  the  soft 
side  of  a  board ;  only  give  us  poor  devils  a  shelter." 

I  told  him  we  were  not  accustomed  to  turn  away 


212        RE-UNION  OF  OLD  AND  TRIED  FRIENDS. 

any  one  on  such  a  night ;  that  they  were  welcome  to 
come  in ;  and  they  were  soon  seated  around  our  large 
and  cheerful  fire. 

They  had  laid  aside  their  snow-shoes  and  knap- 
sacks, and  the  heat  of  the  fire  soon  made  their 
blankets  uncomfortable ;  but  as  one  of  them  made  a 
move  to  throw  it  off,  another  was  heard  to  whisper, 
"  wait  a  little ;  we  are  among  strangers,  you  know;  so 
do  not  make  a  display  of  yourself."  The  fellow  drew 
his  blanket  about  him ;  but  we  had  heard  and  seen 
enough  to  awaken  curiosity,  if  not  suspicion.  In 
passing  out  of.  the  room  soon  after,  I  heard  one  of 
these  pretended  Indians  say  to  his  companion,  "  I 
know  these  folks  are  from  the  States,  for  I  smell 
coffee."  When  they  finally  sat  down  to  table,  and  saw 
silver  upon  it,  they  cast  surprised  and  knowing 
glances  at  each  other,  all  of  which  we  closely  observ- 
ed, and  were  convinced,  that  they  were  not  red  men 
of  the  forest,  but  belonged  to  that  race  who  had  so 
long  looked  haughtily  down  upon  the  colored  people ; 
that  the  least  exhibition  of  comfort,  or  show  of  refine- 
ment astonished  them  beyond  measure. 

In  the  meantime,  my  wife  had  whispered  to  me 
that  she  was  sure  that  the  principal  speaker  was  no 

other  than  the  aristocratic  Mr.  Gr ,  of  Canan- 

daigua.  I  could  not  believe  it ;  I  could  not  recognize 
in  that  savage  costume,  one  who  had  been  bred  in 
affluence,  and  "  the  star"  of  genteel  society.     But  my 


THE  NEW  VISITORS  RECOGNIZED.  213 

wife  soon  developed  the  affair  to  our  mutual  satisfac- 
tion: G ,  on  taking  from  her  a  cup  of  coffee, 

remarked,  "this  looks  good;  and  I  have  had  no  good 
coffee  since  I  left  my  mother's  house." 

"Does  your    mother    still    reside    in   C ?" 

asked  Mrs.  Steward. 

"My  mother!  my  mother !  what  do  you  know  of 
my  mother ! "  said  he,  looking  sharply  at  her ;  but 
observing  that  they  were  recognized,  they  began  to 
laugh,  and  we  had  a  hearty  congratulation  all  round  ; 

while   Gr ,  starting  up   from  table,    exclaimed, 

"Come,  boys,  off  with  this  disguise;  we  are  among 
friends  now." 

Our  Indian  guests,  now  appeared  in  costume  more 
like  "Broadway  dandies,"  than  savages.  Dressed  in 
the  finest  cloth,  with  gold  chains  and  repeaters ;  and 
all  that  constituted  the  toilet  of  a  gentleman.  After 
tea  they  requested  to  dry  some  costly  furs,  which  they 
took  from  their  knapsacks  and  hung  around  the  fire. 
The  following  day  they  took  their  leave,  with  many 
apologies  and  explanations,  regarding  their  appearance 
and  conduct.  They  were  in  the  wilderness,  they  said, 
trading  for  very  valuable  furs;  they  had  money, 
jewelry  and  rich  goods,  which  they  had  taken  that 
method  to  conceal. 

During  all  this  time,  there  had  been  another  visitor 
in  the  house,  who  was  sitting  in  a  corner,  absorbed  in 
writing.     Our  mock  Indians  had  noticed  him,  and  not 


214        RE-UNION  OF  OLD  AND  TRIED  FRIENDS 

"knowing  who  he  was,  expressed  a  determination  "  to 
quiz  that  deaf  old  devil,"  after  supper.  We  all 
seated  ourselves  around  the  fire,  and  our  Ganandaigua 
friends,  though  no  longer  savages,  had  not  forgotten 
the  silent  man  in  the  corner ;  they  began  to  question 
him,  and  he  aroused  himself  for  conversation;  nor 
was  it  long  before  they  forgot  their  design  to  quiz 
him,  and  found  themselves  charmed  listeners  to  the 
brilliant  conversation,  of  that  world-renowned  cham- 
pion of  humanity,  Benjamin  Lundy,  for  he  it  was. 

On  this  particular  evening,  he  gave  us  a  sketch  of 
his  journey  to  Hayti ;  to  accompany  there  and  settle 
some  emancipated  slaves ;  which  I  thought  very  inter- 
esting, and  as  I  have  never  seen  it  in  print  I  will  here 
relate  it,  as  near  as  I  can,  in  his  own  words : 

In  the  State  of  Maryland,  there  lived  a  slaveholder, 
the  proprietor  of  some  sixty  slaves,  and  being  some- 
what advanced  in  years,  he  determined  to  free  them, 
in  accordance  with  the  laws  of  that  State,  which 
required  that  they  be  sent  out  of  it. 

He  had  thought  the  matter  over,  but  being  unde- 
cided where  to  send  them,  he  sent  for  Mr.  Lundy  to 
assist  him  in  his  proposed  plan ;  who  was  only  too 
glad  to  comply  with  a  request  calculated  to  carry  out 
his  own  plans  of  philanthropy  and  equal  rights. 

When  he  had  listened  to  the  suggestions  and  ex- 
pressed desires  of  the  planter,  he  offered  his  arguments 
in  favor  of   the  West  India  Islands;    and  it  was 


NARRATIVE  OF  BENJAMIN  LUNDY.  215 

decided  to  send  them  to  Hajti,  as  their  future  place  of 
residence. 

Six  weeks  were  allowed  for  preparations  ;  then  Mr. 
Lundy  was  to  return  and  take  charge  of  them  on  the 
voyage,  and  see  them  settled  in  their  new  homes. 

When  the  appointed  time  arrived,  Mr.  Lundy  was 
there  to  accompany  them  on  board  a  vessel  bound  for 
Hayti ;  on  which  was  furnished  as  comfortable  quar- 
ters, as  the  kindness  of  their  conscientious  master  and 
his  own  benevolent  heart  could  suggest.  "When  all 
was  ready,  the  Christian  master  came  on  board,  to 
take  leave  of  those  faithful  servants, — many  of  whom 
had  served  him  from  their  childhood,  and  all  of  whom 
he  had  bound  to  his  heart  by  kindness  and  Christian 
benevolence.  It  was  a  sad  parting;  not  because  the 
slaves  did  not  love  liberty,  but  because  they  appreci- 
ated their  master's  kind  forbearance,  and  solicitude  for 
their  future  welfare.  He  had  ever  been  a  humane  and 
indulgent  master ;  one  who  lightened  the  burthen  of 
the  poor  slave,  all  in  his  power.  A  moment's  reflection 
will  show,  that  it  is  invariably  this  conscientious  kind 
of  slaveholders,  who  are  induced  to  emancipate  their 
slaves ;  and  not  the  avaricious,  cruel  tyrant,  who  neither 
fears  God  nor  regards  his  fellow  man. 

The  master  of  the  slaves  had  kindly  informed  them 
of  his  intentions, — of  the  probable  length  of  the 
voyage,  and  the  unavoidable  sickness  they  would 
experience,  &o. ;  but  now,  they  were  gazing  up  into 


216        RE-UNION  OF  OLD  AND  TEIED  FRIENDS. 

his  kind  face  for  the  last  time,  as  he  knelt  in  prayer, 
commending  that  numerous  flock — raised  on  his  own 
plantation — to  the  care  and-  protection  of  Almighty 
God,  beseeching  Him  to  protect  them  in  the  storm 
and  dangers  of  the  ocean ;  to  guide  them  through  this 
life,  and  save  them  in  the  world  to  come ;  until  the 
sobs  and  cries  of  the  poor  slaves  drowned  his  utter- 
ance. He  at  length  took  his  final  leave  of  them,  and 
of  Mr.  Lundy;  and  the  ship  sailed  immediately. 
They,  however,  met  storms  and  adverse  winds,  which 
detained  them;  and  then  the  poor,  ignorant  slaves 
began  to  believe  what  they  had  before  suspected:  that 
this  was  only  some  wicked  plan  of  Mr.  Lundy's,  laid 
to  entice  them  away  from  a  kind  master,  and  to  plunge 
them  into  some  dreadful  degradation  and  suffering. 
"  Master"  had  not  told  them  of  the  adverse  winds,  and 
they  were  certain  that  some  mischief  was  intended ; 
they  grew  sullen  and  disobedient;  and  notwithstanding 
the  kindness  of  Mr.  Lundy,  they  murmured  and  com- 
plained, until  his  kind  heart  sank  within  him ;  still  he 
pursued  the  even  tenor  of  his  way,  trusting  in  God 
for  deliverance.  He  watched  over  them  in  sickness, 
and  administered  to  all  their  wants;  but  his  tender 
solicitude  for  their  health  and  comfort,  only  excited 
suspicion,  and  increased  their  ungrateful  ill  humor. 

One  pleasant  evening,  Mr.  Lundy  paced  the  deck 
in  deep  thought.  He  was  sad,  and  well  nigh  hopeless. 
He  had  seen  enough  in  the  fierce  look  and  sullen 


NARRATIVE  CONTINUED.  217 

scowl ;  and  had  heard  enough  of  the  bitterness,  and 
threatening  anger  of  the  negroes,  to  know  that  a  storm 
was  gathering,  which  must  soon  burst  in  all  its  wild 
fury  over  his  devoted  head.  He  was  a  small,  feeble 
man,  compared  with  those  who  watched  his  every 
movement,  and  gnashed  their  teeth  upon  him  so 
fiercely.  None  but  the  Almighty  could  save  him 
now;  and  to  Him  who  "rides  upon  the  wings  of  the 
wind,  and  maketh  the  clouds  His  chariot,"  he  drew 
near  in  fervent  prayer ;  after  which  he  retired  in  peace 
and  confidence  to  his  berth.  During  the  night,  a  fine 
breeze  sprang  up;  and  when  he  went  on  deck  the 
next  morning,  they  were  in  sight  of  the  luxuriant 
shore  of  Hayti!  The  officers  of  the  island  boarded 
the  ship ;  but  their  language  was  unintelligible  to  the 
negroes,  who  still  looked  daggers  at  every  one  who 
spoke.  They  landed ;  but  the  fearful,  and  ungrateful 
slaves  continued  sullen  and  forbidding.  Mr.  Lundy 
left  them,  however,  and  went  into  the  country,  where 
he  selected  their  future  residence;  and  made  every 
preparation  for  their  comfort  and  convenience  in  his 
power;  saw  them  conveyed  to  their  neat,  pleasant 
homes,  and  all  happily  settled.  This  work  was  accom- 
plished ;  and  he  merely  called  to  bid  adieu  to  his 
ungrateful  charge,  when  he  found  that  one  of  the 
slaves  had  been  appointed  to  speak  to  him,  in  behalf 
of  the  whole  number,  and  confess  how  deeply  they 
had  wronged  him.  While  they  were  conversing,  the 
K 


218         RE-UNION   OF  OLD   AND   TRIED   FRIENDS. 

others  gathered  around,  with  tears  and  prayers  for 
forgiveness;  and  finally  fell  at  his  feet,  imploring 
pardon  for  themselves,  and  blessings  on  the  kind, 
patient  and  humane  Benjamin  Lundy.  He  hurried 
from  the  affecting  scene,  and  soon  after  returned  to 
America. 

Thus  that  cold  evening  passed  more  pleasantly 
away  in  our  rude  cabin;  and  our  Canandaigua 
gentlemen,  after  an  agreeable  acquaintance,  and  plea- 
sant chat  with  Mr.  Lundy,  retired  for  the  night — not 
like  savages,  but  like  gentlemen  as  they  were ;  and  I 
doubt  not,  with  a  more  exalted  opinion  of  -'  the  deaf 
old  devil  in  the  corner  " 


OHAPTEE     XXV 


PEIVATE  LOSSES  AND  PEIYATE  DIFFICULTIES. 

SOCXN*  after  settling  in  Wilberforce,  I  found  that 
the  rumor  I  had  heard  in  the  States,  concerning 
the  refusal  to  sell  land  to  colored  persons,  was  literally 
correct,  and  my  farm  being  too  small  to  yield  a  sup- 
port for  my  family,  and  knowing  it  would  be  useless 
to  apply  for  more  land,  I  engaged  to  carry  packages 
for  different  merchants  in  the  adjoining  villages,  as 
well  as  to  and  from  the  settlement.  Possessing  a  pair 
of  excellent  horses  and  a  good  wagon,  I  found  it  a 
profitable  business,  and  the  only  one  I  could  well  do, 
to  eke  out  the  proceeds  of  my  farm,  and  meet  my 
expenses. 

One  day  as  I  was  returning  from  the  village,  one  of 
my  horses  was  taken  suddenly  ill.  I  took  him  to 
a  tavern  near  by,  and  as  I  could  discover  no  cause  for 
his  illness,  I  concluded  to  leave  him  a  few  days,  sup  ■ 


220  PRIVATE   LOSSES   AND   DIFFICULTIES. 

posing  rest  would  soon  restore  Mm.  I  accordingly 
hired  another  horse,  and  returned  to  the  colony.  In 
a  day  or  two  after,  I  collected  my  packages  as  usual, 
and  started  on  my  route,  designing  to  leave  the  hired 
horse  and  take  my  own ;  but  when  I  arrived  at  the 
tavern,  I  found  some  Indians  engaged  in  taking  off 
the  hide  and  shoes  of  my  poor,  dead  horse.  This  was 
indeed,  a  great  loss  to  me ;  but  I  consoled  myself  with 
the  thought  that  I  had  one  good  horse  left,  yet  he 
"would  hardly  be  sufficient  to  accomplish  alone,  the 
labor  I  had  engaged  to  perform ;  nor  had  I  the  means 
to  spare,  to  purchase  another.  I  therefore  hired  one, 
and  commenced  business  again,  with  the  determination 
to  make  up  my  loss  by  renewed  diligence  and  perse- 
verance, I  started  in  good  spirits ;  but  had  proceeded 
but  a  few  miles,  when  my  remaining  horse,  which  I 
had  supposed  perfectly  sound,  reeled  and  fell  in  the 
harness !  And  before  I  could  relieve  him  of  it,  my 
noble  animal  and  faithful  servant,  had  breathed  his 
last !  Without  a  struggle  or  a  movement  he  lay  life- 
less on  the  cold  earth.  I  was  sad.  I  deplored  the 
loss  of  my  good,  and  valuable  team ;  but  more  the 
mystery  and  suspicion  that  hung  over  the  event.  I 
returned  home  and  sat  down  to  devise  some  plan  of 
procedure.  What  could  I  do  ?  Half  the  means  of 
our  support  had  been  suddenly  and  mysteriously 
snatched  from  us.  What  could  I  do  next?  While 
thus  ruminating,  I  arose  to  answer  a  summons  at  the 


['"-:'■  TEMPTATION  RESISTED.  221 

door,  and  who  should  enter  but  Mr.  B.  Paul,  a  brother 
to  our  foreign  agent,  who  had  so  long  absented 
himself  from  our  house,  that  I  was  indeed  surprised 
to  see  him  at  this  time.  He,  however,  seated  himself, 
with  great  apparent  concern  for  my  recent  loss,  which 
he  soon  made  the  subject  of  conversation  and  the 
object  of  his  visit. 

"There  has  been,"  said  he,  "a  great  deal  of  un- 
pleasant feeling,  and  injudicious  speaking  on  both 
sides,  for  which  I  am  heartily  sorry.  The  colony  is 
too  weak  to  sustain  a  division  of  feelings ;  and  now, 
that  your  recent  losses  have  left  you  in  a  far  less 
favorable  condition  to  sustain  yourself  and  family,  I 
have  called  to  make  a  settlement  of  our  former  diffi- 
culties, and  to  offer  you  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars 
out  of  the  collections  for  the  colony." 

I  saw  through  the  plan  at  once,  and  considered  it 
only  a  bribe,  to  prevent  my  exposing  the  iniquity  of 
others.  Should  I  consent  to  take  a  part  of  the  ill- 
gotten  spoils,  with  what  confidence  could  I  attempt  to 
stay  the  hand  of  the  spoiler.  I  wanted  money  very 
much,  it  is  true ;  but  after  a  moment's  reflection,  not 
enough  to  sanction  the  manner  in  which  it  had  been 
obtained ;  and  though  I  confess,  the  offer  presented  to 
me  a  strong  temptation,  I  am  thankful  that  I  was 
enabled  to  resist  it.  I  refused  to  accept  the  money; 
and  after  sending  away  the  tempter  and  his  offered 


222  PRIVATE    LOSSES    AND   DIFFICULTIES. 

gain,  I  felt  my  heart  lighter,  and  my  conscience  more 
peaceful  than  is  often  the  lot  of  sinful,  erring  man  in 
this  world  of  trial  and  conflict;  and  yet  I  could  but 
feel  that  the  mystery  in  which  the  death  of  my  horses 
was  involved,  was  partially  at  least,  explained. 


CHAPTER     XXVI. 


INCIDENTS  AND  PECULIARITIES  OF  THE  INDIANS. 

DURING-  our  residence  in  Canada,  we  were  often 
visited  by  the  Indians,  which  gave  us  an  oppor- 
tunity to  learn  their  character,  habits  and  disposition ; 
and  some  incidents  illustrative  of  the  peculiarities  of 
that  abused  people,  I  will  here  mention. 

I  recollect  one  bitter  cold  night,  about  eleven 
o'clock,  I  happened  to  awake,  and  looking  out  toward 
the  fire,  I  was  surprised  to  see  standing  there,  erect 
and  quiet,  a  tall,  brawny  Indian,  wrapped  in  his 
blanket ;  his  long  hunting  knife  and  tomahawk  dang- 
ling from  his  belt ;  and  his  rifle  in  his  hand.  Had  he 
been  in  his  own  wigwam,  he  could  not  have  looked 
about  him  with  more  satisfaction  and  independence.  I 
instantly  sprang  to  my  feet,  and  demanded  his  errand. 

"Me  lost  in  the  woods,  and  me  come  to  stay  all 
night,"  was  his  grave  reply. 

"  Then,"  said  I,  "  give  me  your  weapons,  and  I  will 


224        INDIAN  INCIDENTS   AND   PECULIARITIES. 

make  no  objection."  He  disarmed  himself,  and  gave 
his  weapons  to  me,  with  an  air  of  haughty  disdain  for 
mv  fears.  I  put  them  in  a  place  of  safety  and  then 
prepared  his  bed,  which  was  nothing  more  than  the 
floor,  where  they  choose  to  sleep,  with  their  head  to 
the  fire.  My  offer  of  anything  different  from  this  he 
proudly  resented  as  an  insult  to  his  powers  of  endur- 
ance, and  would  say,  "beds  for  pale  faces  and  women; 
hard  board  for  Indians."  He  threw  himself  down, 
drew  his  blanket  about  him,  and  was  soon  sleeping 
soundly.  As  soon  as  the  day  began  to  dawn,  he  was 
up,  called  for  his  arms,  and  after  thanking  me  in  the 
brief  Indian  style  of  politeness,  departed  for  the 
forest.  He  had  found  our  doors  all  fastened,  save  a  low 
back  door,  through  which  he  entered,  passing  through 
a  back  room  so  fall  of  miscellaneous  articles,  that  it 
was  difficult  to  go  through  it  in  the  day  time  without 
upsetting  something;  but  the  Indian  understood  all 
this,  he  made  no  noise,  nor  would  he  have  spoken  at 
all,  had  I  not  awakened;  and  yet,  he  would  have 
scorned  to  injure  any  one  beneath  the  roof  that  gave 
him  shelter,  unless  he  had  been  intoxicated. 

One  sabbath  afternoon,  one  of  my  children  was 
sitting  in  the  door,  when  a  tall,  emaciated  Indian  came 
up  and  said,  "  Will  my  little  lady  please  to  give  me 
a  drink  of  water?  "  While  she  went  for  it,  I  invited 
him  to  a  seat  within.  There  was  something  dignified 
and  commanding  in  his  appearance,  and  something  in 


VISIT  FROM   ONE   OF   TECUMSEH'S   BRAVES.     225 

his  voice  and  countenance,  that  won  my  confidence 
and  respect  at  once.  He  remained  in  the  place  some 
time,  and  I  learned  his  history. 

In  his  younger  days  lie  had  been  a  great  warrior ; 
and  even  now,  when  recounting,  as  he  often  did,  the 
scenes  of  the  battle  field,  his  eye  would  burn  with, 
savage  fire,  lighting  up  his  whole  countenance  with, 
the  fiercest  kind  of  bravery,  and  often  with  a  hideous 
yell  that  would  startle  our  very  souls,  he  would  burst 
from  the  room  and  bound  over  the  fields  and  forest, 
with  the  neetness  of  a  deer — making  the  woods  ring 
with  his  frightful  war-cry,  until  the  blood  seemed 
ready  to  curdle  in  our  veins.  He  had  also  been 
one  of  the  famous  Tecumseh's  braves ;  and  had  stood 
by  him  when  he  fell  on  the  fifth  of  October,  1813. 
This  old  brave,  whenever  he  called  the  name  of 
Tecumseh,  bowed  his  head  reverently;  and  would 
often  try  to  tell  us  how  very  deeply  they  mourned 
when  it  could  no  longer  be  doubted  that  the  brave 
heart  of  Tecumseh,  brother  of  the  celebrated  Wabash 
prophet,  had  ceased  to  beat. 

"  Had  an  arrow  pierced  the  sun  and  brought  it  to 
my  feet,"  said  the  old  warrior,  "  I  could  not  have  been 
more  astounded  than  at  the  fall  of  Tecumseh.  Then 
he  told  us  that  once,  after  a  great  and  victorious  battle, 
Tecumseh,  in  his  war  paint  and  feathers,  stood  in  the 
midst  of  his  braves,  when  a  little  pale  faced  girl  made 
her  way  weeping  to  him  and  said,  "My  mother  is 
K* 


226        INDIAN   INCIDENTS   AND    PECULIARITIES. 

very  ill,  and  your  men  are  abusing  her,  and  refuse  to 
go  away."  "Never,"  said  the  Indian,  "did  I  see  a 
frown  so  terrible  on  the  face  of  Tecumseh,  as  at  that 
moment;  when  he  with  one  hand  clutched  his  toma- 
hawk, and  with  the  other  led  the  little  girl  to  the 
scene  of  riot.  He  approached  the  unruly  savages 
with  uplifted  tomahawk,  its  edge  glittering  like  silver, 
and  with  one  shout  of  '  begone ! '  they  scattered  as 
though  a  thunderbolt  had  fallen  in  their  midst." 

But  the  old  warrior  at  Wilberforce  fought  no  more 
battles,  except  in  imagination  those  of  the  past.  After 
peace  was  declared  he  bought  a  valuable  piece  of  land, 
with  the  intention  of  spending  the  remainder  of  his 
life  more  quietly ;  but  unfortunately  there  lived  not 
far  fiom  him  a  man  who  had  once  been  the  possessor 
of  that  farm,  and  had  lost  it  in  some  way,  and  was 
now  in  reduced  circumstances. 

He  was  both  envious  and  vicious ;  and  because  he 
could  not  himself  buy  the  land,  he  was  determined 
that  the  old  Indian  should  not  have  it.  After  having 
tried  many  ways  to  get  it  from  him,  he  finally  com- 
plained of  him,  for  fighting  for  the  British  and  against 
the  country  where  he  now  resided.  This  was  success- 
ful; he  was  arrested  and  thrown  into  prison,  and 
without  a  trial,  removed  from  one  prison  to  another, 
until  he,  with  several  others,  was  sent  South  to  be  tried 
as  traitors.  While  on  the  way,  the  keeper  of  this 
Indian  wished  to  call  on  his  mother,  who  lived  in  a 


WRONGS  OF  THE  RED   MAN.  227 

little  cottage  by  the  roadside,  to  bid  her  farewell.  She 
was  an  aged  woman,  and  when  her  son  left  her  to  join 
his  companions,  she  followed  him  to  the  door  weeping, 
wringing  her  hands  in  great  distress,  and  imploring 
the  widow's  God  to  protect  her  only  son.  She  had  had 
four;  all  of  whom  went  forth,  with  an  American 
mother's  blessing,  to  fight  in  defence  of  their  country ; 
and  this  one  alone,  returned  alive  from  the  field  of 
battle.  Now  as  he  took  his  final  departure  for  the 
South,  she  clasped  her  hands,  raised  her  tearful  eyes  to 
heaven,  and  while  large  drops  rolled  over  her  wrinkled 
cheeks,  she  cried,  "  Oh,  God,  protect  my  only  one,  and 
return  him  to  me  in  safety,  ere  I  die."  This  scene,  the 
imprisoned,  and  as  some  supposed,  heartless  Indian, 
watched  with  interest ;  no  part  of  it  escaped  his  atten- 
tion ;  but  they  passed  on,  and  safely  reached  Detroit. 
The  prisoners  were  conducted  to  a  hotel  and  secured 
for  the  night ;  our  Indian  hero  being  consigned  to  an 
attic,  which  they  supposed  a  safe  place  for  him.  There 
happened  to  be  on  that  night,  a  company  of  showmen 
stopping  at  that  hotel,  and  exhibiting  wax- work; 
among  the  rest,  was  a  figure  of  General  Brock,  who 
fell  at  Queenston  Heights,  and  a  costly  cloak  of  fur, 
worn  by  the  General  previous  to  his  death.  Nothing 
of  this  escaped  the  eagle-eye  and  quick  ear  of  the 
Indian.  When  all  was  quiet  in  the  hotel,  he  com- 
menced operations,  for  he  had  made  up  his  mind  to 
leave,  which  with  the  red  man  is  paramount  to  an 


228        INDIAN  INCIDENTS  AND   PECULIARITIES. 

accomplishment  of  Lis  design.  He  found  no  great 
difficulty  in  removing  the  window  of  his  lofty  apart- 
ment, out  of  which  he  clambered,  and  with  the  agility 
of  a  squirrel  and  the  caution  of  a  cat,  he  sprang  for 
the  conductor  and  on  it  he  slid  to  the  ground.  He  was 
now  free  to  go  where  he  pleased ;  but  he  had  heard 
something  about  the  cloak  of  Gren.  Brock ;  he  knew 
too,  that  the  friends  of  the  General  had  offered  fifty 
guineas  for  it,  and  now  he  would  just  convey  it  to 
them. 

With  the  sagacity  of  his  race,  he  surveyed  the  hotel, 
and  determined  the  exact  location  of  the  show-room. 
Stealthily  and  noiselessly,  he  entered  it;  found  the 
cloak — took  it  and  departed,  chuckling  at  his  good 
fortune.  As  he  was  creeping  out  of  the  apartment 
with  his  booty,  a  thought  struck  him,  which  not  only 
arrested  his  footsteps,  but  nearly  paralized  his  whole 
being.  Would  not  his  keeper  be  made  to  answer,  and 
perhaps  to  suffer  for  his  escape  and  theft  ?  Of  course 
he  would.  "  Then  in  the  darkness  I  saw  again,"  said 
the  old  brave,  "that  old  pale-faced  mother,  weeping 
for  the  loss  of  her  only  son/'  when  he  immediately 
returned  the  cloak  to  its  place,  and  with  far  more 
difficulty  than  in  his  descent,  he  succeeded  in  reaching 
his  attic  prison,  where  he  laid  himself  down,  muttering 
to  himself,  "not  yet, — poor  old  pale-face  got  but 
one." 

They  took  him  to  Virginia,  where,  instead  of  a  trial, 


INDIAN  STRATAGEM.  229 

they  gave  him  about  the  same  liberty  they  do  their 
slaves.  He  staid  one  winter;  but  when  the  spring 
opened,  the  fire  of  the  red  man  took  possession  of  hjm, 
and  when  sent  to  the  forest  to  chop  wood,  he  took  a 
bee-line  for  his  former  residence.  But  what  was  he  to 
do  for  food  ?  With  a  rifle,  he  could  live  happily  in 
the  woods,  but  he  had  none ;  so  after  considering  the 
matter,  he  said  to  himself,  "Me  must  get  a  rifle,"  and 
instantly  started  for  the  highway.  The  first  cabin  he 
saw,  he  entered  in  great  apparent  excitement,  and  told 
the  woman  of  the  house,  that  he  had  seen  a  "big 
deer  in  the  woods,  and  wanted  a  rifle  to  shoot  it. 
When  you  hear  my  gun,"  he  said,  "  then  you  come 
and  get  big  deer."  She  gave  him  her  husband's 
excellent  rifle  and  a  few  bullets ;  he  looked  at  them, 
and  said  he  must  have  more,  for  "it  was  a  big  deer;" 
so  she  gave  him  the  bullet-mould  and  a  piece  of  lead, 
with  which  he  departed,  after  repeating  his  former 
injunction,  to  come  when  she  heard  the  rifle ;  but,  said 
he,  "  she  no  hear  it  yet." 

He  at  length  arrived  at  his  own  farm,  from  which 
he  had  been  so  cruelly  driven,  and  concealed  himself 
behind  a  log  in  sight  of  his  own  house,  to  watch  the 
inmates.  He  soon  learned  that  it  was  occupied  by  the 
man  who  had  persecuted  him  in  order  to  obtain  it,  his 
wife  and  one  child.  All  day  until  midnight,  he 
watched  them  from  his  hiding  place,  then  assuming 
all  the  savage  ferocity  of  his  nature,  and  giving  him- 


230        INDIAN  INCIDENTS   AND   PECULIARITIES. 

self  the  most  frightful  appearance  possible,  he  entered 
the  house,  and  noiselessly  passed  to  their  sleeping 
room,  where  he  placed  himself  before  them  with  a 
long  knife  in  his  hand.  Having  assumed  this  frightful 
attitude,  he  commanded  them  in  a  voice  of  thunder, 
to  get  up  and  give  him  some  supper.  They  were 
awake  now.  Oh,  horror!  what  a  sight  for  a  guilty 
man,  and  a  timid  woman  !  "  Me  come  to  kill  you !  " 
said  the  Indian,  as  he  watched  their  blanched  cheeks 
and  quivering  lips.  They  tottered  about  on  their 
trembling  limbs  to  get  everything  he  asked  for,  im- 
ploring him  for  God's  sake  to  take  all,  but  spare  their 
lives.  "  Me  will  have  scalps,"  he  answered  fiercely; 
but  when  he  had  eaten  all  he  desired,  he  adjusted  his 
blanket,  and  putting  on  a  savage  look,  he  remarked  as 
if  to  himself,  "  Me  go  now  get  my  men  and  kill  him, 
kill  he  wife,  and  kill  he  baby  !  "  and  left  the  house  for 
his  post  of  observation. 

The  frightened  inmates  lost  no  time,  but  hastily 
collecting  some  provisions,  fled  to  the  frontier,  and 
were  never  heard  of  afterwards. 

The  Indian  immediately  took  possession  of  his  own 
and  quite  an  addition  left  by  the  former  tenants. 

While  the  kind-hearted  old  Indian  repeated  to  me 
the  story  of  his  wrongs,  it  reminded  me  of  the  injustice 
practised  on  myself,  and  the  colored  race  generally. 
Does  a  colored  man  by  hard  labor  and  patient  in- 
dustry,   acquire   a  good  location,   a  fine  farm,   and 


DESTINY  OF  THE   COLOEED  MAN.  231 

comfortable  dwelling,  lie  is  almost  sure  to  be  looked 
g  upon  by  the  white  man,  as  an  usurper  of  his  rights 
and  territory ;  a  robber  of  what  he  himself  should 
possess,  and  too  often  does  wrong  the  colored  man 
out  of, — yet,  I  am  happy  to  acknowledge  many  hon- 
orable exceptions. 

I  have  often  wondered,  when  looking  at  the  rem- 
nant of  that  once  powerful  race,  whether  the  black 
man  would  become  extinct  and  his  race  die  out,  as 
have  the  red  men  of  the  forest ;  whether  they  would 
wither  in  the  presence  of  the  enterprising  Anglo-Saxon 
as  have  the  natives  of  this  country.  But  now  I  have 
no  such  wondering  inquiries  to  make ;  being  persuaded 
that  the  colored  man  has  yet  a  prominent  part  to  act 
in  this  highly-favored  Eepublic, — of  what  description 
the  future  must  determine. 


CHAPTER    XXYII 


OUR  DIFFICULTIES  WITH  ISRAEL  LEWIS. 

BEING-  under  the  necessity  of  referring  again  to  the 
difficulties  existing  in  the  Wilberforce  colony, 
I  shall  here  introduce  a  circular,  published  in  New 
York  city,  which  will  give  the  reader  an  understand- 
ing of  the  real  cause  of  our  embarrassments,  and  the 
character  of  our  agent,  Israel  Lewis. 

CIRCULAR 

New  York,  May  9th,  1836. 

The  committee  of  colored  citizens  of  the  city  of  New  York,  as 
servants  of  the  public,  sincerely  regret  the  necessity  of  bringing  the 
within  subject  before  the  public.  Their  duty  to  God,  to  society,  and 
to  themselves,  only  actuates  them  in  this  matter. 

The  fact  that  many  individuals  in  diiferent  sections  of  the  country, 
have  long  suspected  the  integrity  of  Israel  Lewis,  but  possessing  no 
authentic  documentary  evidence,  they  have  been  prevented  from 


ISEAEL   LEWIS    DISHONESTY   DENOUNCED.       233 

making  an  effort,  to  counteract  his  too  successful  attempts  and  those 
of  his  agents,  in  the  collection  of  funds  from  the  public,  has  induced 
us  to  transmit  this  circular. 

Theodore  S.  Wright,        David  Ruggles, 
Peter  Ogden,  John  Stans, 

Thomas  Downing,  William  P.  Johnson, 

George  Potts,  William  Hamilton, 

Charles  B.  Ray,  Samuel  E.  Cobnisel 


ISRAEL    LEWIS. 

Wilberforce,  U.  0.,  March  28th,  1836. 

The  board  of  managers  of  the  Wilberforce  settlement,  met  and 
passed  unanimously  the  following  resolutions — Present,  Austin  Stew- 
ard, Philip  Harris,  Peter  Butler,  William  Bell,  John  Whitehead, 
Samuel  Peters. 

Resolved,  1st.  That  we  deeply  regret  the  manner  in  which  our 
friends  in  the  States  have  been  imposed  upon  by  Israel  Lewis ;  and 
that  we  hereby  inform  them,  as  a  board  of  managers  or  otherwise, 
that  we  have  received  less  than  one  hundred  dollars  of  all  the  money 
borrowed  and  collected  in  the  States. 

Resolved,  2d.  That  although  we  have  not  received  one  hundred 
dollars  from  said  Lewis,  yet,  when  we  shall  have  received  the  funds 
collected  by  our  agent,  the  Rev.  Nathan  Paul,  in  England,  we  will 
refund  as  far  as  our  abilities  will  allow  and  our  friends  may  require, 
the  money  contributed  for  our  supposed  benefit,  by  them  in  the 
States. 

Resolved,  3d.  That  we  tender  our  sincere  thanks  to  oar  beloved 
friends,  Arthur  Tappan  and  others,  who  have  taken  such  deep  inter- 
est in  the  welfare  of  oui  little  colony. 

Resolved,  4th.    That  the  foregoing  resolutions  bo  signed  by  the 


234        OUR  DIFFICULTIES  WITH   ISRAEL    LEWIS. 

■whole  board,  and  se.  t  to  the  States  to  be  published  in  the  New  York 
Observer  and  other  papers. 

AUSTIN  STEWARD,  President, 
PETER  BUTLER,  Treasurer, 
JOHN  HALMES,  Secretary. 
Philip  Harris,         "| 
William  Bell,  ' 

John  Whitehead,     ^Manager*. 
Samuel  Peters,       J 

New  York,  April  25th,  1836. 

At  a  public  meeting  of  the  colored  citizens  of  New  York  city, 
held  in  Phoenix  Hall,  Thomas  L.  Jennings  in  the  Chair,  and  Charles 
B.  Ray,  Secretary,  the  following  resolutions  were  passed  unani- 
mously : 

Resolved,  That  the  thanks  of  this  meeting  be  tendered  to  the  Rev. 
Samuel  E.  Cornish,  for  the  able  and  satisfactory  report  of  his  mission 
to  Upper  Canada,  especially  to  the  Wilberforce  settlement. 

Resolved,  That  this  meeting  deem  it  their  imperative  duty,  to 
announce  to  the  public,  that  in  view  of  facts  before  them,  Israel 
Lewis*  has  abused  their  confidence,  wasted  their  benevolence,  and 
forfeited  all  claim  to  their  countenance  and  respect. 

Resolved,  That  a  committee  of  ten,  be  appointed  to  give  publicity 

to  the  foregoing  resolutions ;  also,  to  the   communication  from  the 

managers  of  the  Wilberforce  settlement,  as  they  may  deem  necessary 

in  the  case. 

THOMAS  L.  JENNINGS,  Chairman, 

CHARLES  B.  RAT,  Secretary. 

It  will  now  appear  that  I  was  not  the  only  unfortu- 
nate individual  who  had  difficulty  with  Mr.  Lewis. 

*It  necessarily  follows  that  the  public  should  withhold  their  money  from  hia  sub- 
ordinate agents. 


MK.   TAPPAN   EXPOSES   LEWIS.  235 

Mr.  Arthur  Tappan  made  known  through  the  press, 
about  this  time,  that  Israel  Lewis  was  not  a  man  to  be 
fully  relied  upon  in  his  statements  regarding  the  Wil- 
Derforce  colony;  and  also,  if  money  was  placed  in  his 
hands  for  the  benefit  of  the  sick  and  destitute  among 
the  settlers,  it  would  be  doubtful  whether  it  was  faith- 
fully applied  according  to  the  wishes  of  the  donors. 

For  this  plain  statement  of  facts,  Mr.  Lewis  com- 
menced a  suit  against  Mr.  Tappan,  for  defamation  of 
character;  laying  the  damages  at  the  round  sum  of 
ten  thousand  dollars.  It  appeared  that  Lewis  valued 
his  reputation  highly  now  that  he  had  elevated 
himself  sufficiently  to  commence  a  suit  against  one  of 
the  best  and  most  respectable  gentlemen  in  New  York 
city ;  a  whole  souled  abolitionist  withal ;  one  who  had 
suffered  his  name  to  be  cast  out  as  evil,  on  account  of 
his  devotion  to  the  colored  man's  cause — both  of  the 
enslaved  and  free;  one  who  has,  moreover,  seen  his 
own  dwelling  entered  by  an  infuriated  and  pro-slavery 
mob ;  his  expensive  furniture  thrown  into  the  street  as 
fuel  for  the  torch  of  the  black  man's  foe ;  and,  amid 
the  crackling  flame  which  consumed  it,  to  hear  the  vile 
vociferations  of  his  base  persecutors,  whose  only 
accusation  was  his  defence  of  the  colored  man.  This 
noble  hearted,  christian  philanthropist,  who  took 
11  joyfully  the  spoiling  of  his  goods"  for  the  cause  of 
the  oppressed,  was  the  chosen  victim  of  Lewis'  wrath 
and  violent  vituperation ;  and  that  too,  where  he  was 


236       OUR  DIFFICULTIES  WITH  ISRAEL   LEWIS. 

well  known  as  a  most  honorable,  humane  gentleman ; 
and  all  for  naming  facts  which  were  quite  generally 
known  already. 

Lewis  returned  to  Wilberforce,  flushed  and  swag- 
gering with  the  idea  of  making  his  fortune  in  this 
speculation  of  a  law-suit  against  Mr.  Tappan;  and  to 
remove  all  obstacles,  he  sent  a  man  to  me,  to  say  that 
if  I  would  publish  nothing,  and  would  abandon  the 
interests  of  the  colonists,  he  would  give  me  a  hand- 
some sum  of  money.  I  soon  gave  him  to  understand 
that  he  had  applied  to  the  wrong  person  for  anything 
of  that  kind ;  and  he  then  laid  a  plan  to  accomplish 
by  fraud  and  perjury,  what  he  had  failed  to  do  by 
bribery. 

I  have  before  mentioned  the  fact  of  my  having 
taken  up  a  note  of  twenty-five  dollars  for  Mr.  Lewis, 
on  condition  that  he  would  soon  refund  the  money.  I 
did  it  as  a  favor,  and  kept  the  note  in  my  possession, 
until  about  a  year  afterward,  when  I  sued  him  to 
recover  my  just  due  on  the  note.  We  had  then  began 
to  differ  in  our  public  business,  which  led  to  other 
differences  in  our  transaction  of  both  public  and 
private  matters  relating  to  the  colony.  He  of  course 
gave  bail  for  his  appearance  at  court,  and  it  ran  along 
for  some  time  until  he  found  he  could  not  bribe  me  to 
enter  into  his  interests,  and  then  for  the  first  time,  he 
declared  that  I  had  stolen  the  note !  And  finally  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  me  indicted  before  the  grand  jury ! 


BITTER  PERSECUTION   BY  LEWIS.  237 

In  this  I  suppose  Lewis  and  his  confederates  had 
two  objects:  first,  to  get  rid  of  me;  secondly,  that  they 
might  have  a  chance  to  account  for  my  continued 
hostility,  by  saying  that  it  arose  in  consequence  of  a 
private  quarrel,  and  not  for  any  true  interest  I  had  in 
their  collecting  money  deceptively. 

Lewis  appeared  so  bent  on  my  destruction,  that  he 
forgot  it  was  in  my  power  to  show  how  I  came  by  the 
note.  The  Court  of  King's  Bench  met,  but  in  conse- 
quence of  the  cholera,  was  adjourned,  and  of  course, 
the  case  must  he  over  until  another  year. 

When  the  time  for  the  trial  drew  near,  I  was,  in  the 
midst  of  my  preparations  to  attend  it,  counselled  and 
advised  by  different  persons  to  flee  from  the  country, 
which  I  had  labored  so  hard  and  so  conscientiously  to 
benefit,  and  received  in  return  nothing  but  detraction 
and  slander.  But  conscious  of  my  innocence,  I  de- 
clared I  would  not  leave ;  I  knew  I  had  committed  no 
crime;  I  had  violated  no  law  of  the  land, — and  I 
would  do  nothing  to  imply  guilt.  He  who  hath 
formed  the  heart,  knoweth  its  intent  and  purpose,  and 
to  Him  I  felt  willing  to  commit  my  cause.  True,  the 
court  might  convict,  imprison,  and  transport  me  away 
from  my  helpless  family  of  five  small  children;  if  so, 
I  was  determined  they  should  punish  an  innocent 
man.  Nevertheless,  it  was  a  dark  time;  I  was  not 
only  saddened  and  perplexed,  but  my  spirit  was 
grieved,  and  I  felt  like  one  "  wounded  in  the  house  of 


238       OUR  DIFFICULTIES  WITH  ISRAEL  LEWIS. 

his  friends," — ready  to  cry  out,  "  had  it  been  an  enemy 
I  could  have  borne  it,"  but  to  be  arraigned,  for  the 
first  time  in  my  life,  as  a  criminal,  by  one  of  the  very 
people  I  had  spent  my  substance  to  benefit,  was 
extremely  trying.  Guiltless  as  I  knew  myself  to  be, 
still,  I  was  aware  that  many  incidents  had  transpired, 
which  my  enemies  could  and  would  construe  to  my 
disadvantage ;  moreover,  Lewis  had  money,  which  he 
would  freely  distribute  to  gain  his  point  right  or 
wrong,  and  to  get  me  out  of  his  way. 

In  due  time  the  trial  came  on,  and  I  was  to  be  tried 
for  theft!  Lewis  had  reported  all  through  the  settle- 
ment that  on  a  certain  time  I  had  called  at  his 
house,  and  from  a  bundle  of  papers  which  his  wife 
showed  me,  I  had  purloined  the  note,  which  had 
caused  me  so  much  trouble.  To  prove  this  it  was 
necessary  to  get  his  wife  to  corroborate  the  statement. 
This  was  not  an  easy  matter.  Mrs.  Lewis,  indignant 
and  distressed  by  her  husband's  unldndness,  had  left 
him  and  taken  up  her  abode  in  the  family  of  a  hospi- 
table Englishman.  After  Lewis  had  been  sent  out  as 
an  agent  for  the  colony,  finding  himself  possessed  of 
sufficient  funds  to  cut  a  swell,  he  associated  and  was 
made  a  great  deal  of,  by  both  ladies  and  gentlemen  in 
high  stations  of  life ;  the  consequence  of  which  was, 
he  looked  now  with  disdain  upon  his  faithful,  but 
illiterate  wife,  who  like  himself  had  been  born  a  slave, 
and  bred  on  a  Southern  plantation ;  and  who  had  with 


lewis'  shameful  treatment  op  his  wife.  239 

him  escaped  from  the  cruel  task-master,  enduring  with 
him  the  hardships  and  dangers  of  the  flying  fugitive. 

Now  her  assistance  was  necessary  to  carry  forward 
his  plans,  and  he  endeavored  in  various  ways  to 
induce  her  to  return,  but  in  vain.  "When  he  sent 
messengers  to  inform  her  how  sorry  he  felt  for  his  past 
abuse,  she  said  she  feared  it  was  only  some  wicked 
plot  to  entice  her  away  from  the  peaceable  home  she 
had  found.  Lewis  saw  that  he  must  devise  some 
other  method  to  obtain  her  evidence.  He  therefore 
called  on  the  brother  of  the  Englishman  in  whose 
family  Mrs.  Lewis  was,  and  in  a  threatening  manner 
told  him  that  he  understood  his  brother  was  harboring 
his  wife,  and  that  he  intended  to  make  him  pay  dear 
for  it.  The  brother,  to  save  trouble,  said  he  would 
assist  him  to  get  his  wife,  and  that  night  conducted 
Lewis  to  her  residence.  No  better  proof  can  be  given 
that  Mrs.  Lewis  possessed  the  true  heart  of-  a  woman, 
than  that  the  moment  her  husband  made  humble  con- 
cessions, and  promised  to  love  and  protect  her  hence- 
forth, she  forgave  him  all  his  past  infidelity  and 
neglect,  and  looked  with  hope  to  a  brighter  future.  In 
return  Lewis  presented  her  with  a  note,  telling  her  to 
take  it  to  a  certain  person  and  present  it,  and  he 
would  give  her  twenty  dollars  on  it.  This  would,  he 
doubtless  thought,  leave  her  in  his  power. 

As  Mrs.  Lewis  could  not  read,  the  unsuspecting  wife 
presented  the  paper  all  in  good  faith.     The  gentleman 


240        OUR  DIFFICULTIES   WITH   ISRAEL   LEWIS. 

looked  at  her  sharply,  suspiciously, — and  then  asked 
her,  if  she  was  not  aware  that  she  was  presenting  him 
a  paper  completely  worthless !  The  poor  woman  was 
mortified  and  astonished;  and  instead  of  returning  to 
her  husband,  fled  to  Wilberforoe,  and  called  at  our 
house.  Knowing  how  disastrous  to  me  would  be  her 
false  statement,  and  ignorant  of  her  state  of  mind,  I 
asked  her  if  she  had  come  to  assist  Mr.  Lewis  by 
swearing  against  me.  I  saw  at  once,  that  she  had  not 
yet  been  informed  of  her  husband's  design. 

" Swear  against  you,  Mr.  Steward!"  said  she.  "I 
know  nothing  to  swear  that  would  injure  you ;  I  have 
always  known  you  as  an  honest,  upright  man,  and  you 
need  not  fear  my  turning  against  an  innocent  person, 
for  the  benefit  of  one  I  know  to  be  guilty.  Nor 
would  I  have  left  my  place,  had  I  known  what  I  now 
do."     So  all  help  and  fear  was  ended  in  that  quarter. 

When  at  length  the  appointed  morning  arrived,  I 
arose  early,  but  with  a  saddened  heart.  I  looked  upon 
my  wife  and  helpless  family,  reflecting  that  possibly 
this  might  be  the  last  time  we  should  all  assemble 
around  the  breakfast  table  in  our  hitherto  quiet  home, 
and  I  could  scarcely  refrain  from  weeping.  I,  how- 
ever, took  my  leave,  and  a  lad  with  me,  to  bring  back 
a  message  of  the  result,  if  the  court  found  sufficient 
cause  to  detain  me  for  trial.  But  when  I  found  that  I 
must  be  tried,  I  felt  too  unhappy  to  make  others  so, 
and  kept  out  of  the  lad's  way.     He  returned  without 


BITTER  PERSECUTION  AGAIN  FOILED.  241 

a  message ;  and  I  took  my  seat  in  the  prisoner's  box. 
I  had  just  taken  a  letter  out  of  the  post  office,  from 
Rochester,  containing  recommendations  and  attesta- 
tions from  the  first  men  in  the  city,  of  my  good 
character,  which  relieved  my  feelings  somewhat ; 
nevertheless,*  my  heart  was  heavy,  and  especially 
when,  soon  after  I  took  my  seat,  a  trap-door  was 
opened  and  a  murderer  was  brought  up  and  seated  by 
my  side ! 

Chief  Justice  Robinson,  made  his  appearance  in 
great  pomp — dressed  in  the  English  court  style — then 
the  crier,  in  a  shrill  voice,  announced  the  opening  of 
the  court,  and  finished  by  exclaiming,  "  God  save  the 
King!  "  His  lordship  then  called  the  attention  of  the 
jury  to  the  law  of  the  land;  particularly  to  that 
portion  relating  to  their  present  duty;  and  the  grand 
jury  presented  me  to  the  court,  for  feloniously  taking 
a  certain  promissory  note  from  the  house  of  Israel 
Lewis.  The  King's  Attorney  had  but  one  witness, 
and  that  was  Lewis.  He  was  called  to  the  stand, 
permitted  to  relate  his  story,  and  retire  without  any 
cross-examination  on  the  part  of  my  Attorney;  but 
that  gentleman  called  up  three  respectable  white -men, 
all  of  whom  swore  that  they  would  not  believe  Israel 
Lewis  under  oath !  Then  submitted  the  case  to  the 
jury  without  remark  or  comment,  and  the  jury,  with- 
out leaving  their  seats,  brought  in  a  verdict  of  "  NOT 
guilty."  Thus  ended  my  first  and  last  trial  for  theft! 
L       ' 


M2        OUR  DIFFICULTIES  WITH  ISRAEL   LEWIS. 

Oh,  liow  my  very  eoul  revolted  at  the  thought  of 
being  thus  accused;  but  now  that  I  stood  justified 
before  God  and  my  fellow-men,  I  felt  relieved  and 
grateful ;  nor  could  I  feel  anything  but  pity  for  Lewis, 
who,  like  Haman,  had  been  so  industriously  engaged 
in  erecting  "a  gallows  fifty  cubits  high""  for  me,  but 
found  himself  dangling  upon  it.  He  raved  like  a 
madman,  clutched  the  arm  of  the  Judge  and  demanded 
a  new  trial,  but  he  shook  him  off  with  contempt  and 
indignation,  as  though  he  had  been  a  viper.  In  his 
wild  fury  and  reckless  determination  to  destroy  my 
character,  he  had  cast  a  foul  stain  upon  his  own,  never 
to  be  effaced.  I  had  felt  bound  to  preserve  my  repu- 
tation when  unjustly  assailed,  but  it  had  been  to  me  a 
painful  necessity  to  throw  a  fellow-being  into  the 
unenviable  and  disgraceful  attitude  in  which  Lewis 
now  stood ;  and  yet,  he  would  not,  and  did  not  yield 
the  point,  notwithstanding  his  ignominious  defeat. 

He  very  soon  began  to  gather  his  forces  for  another 
attack  upon  me,  and  followed  the  same  direction  for 
his  accusation, — the  land  purchase. 

The  reader  will  recollect  without  further  repetition, 
that  as  I  could  purchase  no  land  of  the  Canada  Com- 
pany, because  of  their  indignation  against  Lewis,  I 
was  glad  to  accept  of  the  contract  he  had  made  with 
Mr.  Ingersoll,  for  lot  number  four  in  the  colony ;  that 
I  paid  the  sum  demanded,  and  took  his  assignment  on 
the  back  of  the  contract,  and  as  we  then  were  on  good 


AGAIN  VICTORIOUS  OVER  WICKED  PLOTTING.     243 

terms,  it  never  occurred  to  me  that  a  witness  was 
necessary  to  attest  to  the  transaction.  But  after  his 
failure  to  prove  me  a  thief/  his  next  effort  was  to 
convict  me  of  forgery !  It  will  be  remembered  that 
Lewis  after  selling  out  to  me,  returned  the  contract  to 
Mr.  Ingersoll,  and  that  I  had  lost  by  the  means,  the 
land,  and  at  least  five  hundred  dollars'  worth  of  im- 
provements. Then  I  brought  a  suit  against  Lewis,  to 
recover  the  money  I  had  paid  him  for  the  contract; 
and  then  it  was  that  he  asserted  and  attempted  to 
prove,  that  I  had  forged  the  assignment,  and  therefore, 
had  no  just  claim  on  him  for  the  amount  paid.  But 
in  this,  as  in  the  other  case,  he  met  a  defeat  and  made 
an  entire  failure.  I  recovered  all  that  I  claimed,  whic'i 
was  only  my  just  due.  One  would  suppose  that  after 
so  many  unsuccessful  attempts  to  ruin  me,  he  would 
have  left  me  alone,— but  not  so  with  Lewis :  he  had 
the  ambition  of  a  Bonaparte;  and  doubtless  had  he 
possessed  the  advantages  of  an  education,  instead  of 
having  been  born  and  bred  i  slave,  he  might,  like  an 
Alexander  or  Napoleon,  have  astonished  the  world 
with  his  deeds  of  daring.  I  am,  however,  no  ad- 
mirer of  what  the  world  call  "  great  men," — one 
humble,  self-sacrificing  christian,  like  Benjamin  Lun- 
dy,  has  far  greater  claim  on  my  respect  and  reverence. 
Lewis,  failing  in  his  second  attack,  backed  up  as  he 
had  been  in  all  his  wicked  course,  by  a  friend  wearing 
the  sacred  garb  of  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  cooled  off, 


244       OUR  DIFFICULTIES  WITH  ISRAEL  LEWIS. 

and  it  became  evident  to  all,  that  he  was  meditating 
some  different  mode  of  warfare.  To  this  concealed 
confederate,  I  mnst  attach  great  blame,  on  account  of 
the  influence  his  station  and  superior  learning  gave 
him,  not  only  over  Mr.  Lewis,  but  the  colonists  gener- 
ally, and  which  should  have  been  exerted  for  the  good 
of  all,  in  truth  and  honesty. 


CHAPTER     XXVIII 


DESPERATION"  OF  A  FUGITIVE   SLAVE. 

WE  had  as  yet  received  no  funds  from  our 
foreign  agent,  N.  Paul,  and  the  board  of 
managers  had  resolved  to  send  a  man  after  him.  An 
Englishman  and  a  white  man  named  Nell,  would 
gladly  undertake  the  mission,  leaving  his  wife  and  five 
children  among  the  settlers.  Again  was  I  under  the 
necessity  of  returning  to  New  York,  to  obtain  the 
funds  required  to  send  out  Mr.  Nell  after  our  agent  in 
England. 

The  night  before  I  left  home,  I  had  a  singular 
dream  which  I  will  briefly  relate.  I  dreamed  of  jour- 
neying on  a  boat  to  Albany,  and  of  stopping  at  a 
house  to  take  tea.  Several  persons,  I  thought,  were 
at  the  table,  and  as  a  cup  of  tea  was  handed  me,  I 
saw  a  woman  slyly  drop  something  into  it.  I,  how- 
ever, drank  the  tea,  and  dreamed  that  it  made  me 
very  sick. 


246  DESPERATION    OF   A   FUGITIVE    SLAVE. 

I  found  it  difficult  to  drive  from  my  mind  the 
unpleasant  impression  this  dream  had  made  upon  it, 
but  finally  succeeded  in  doing  so,  attributing  it  to  the 
many  and  malicious  threatenings  which  had  been 
made  by  Lewis  and  his  associates.  They  had  boldly 
asserted,  that  "  if  I  went  to  the  States,  I  would  never 
return  alive,"  and  several  other  threats  equally  malig- 
nant. I,  however,  started  with  Mr.  Nell  for  Eochester, 
where  we  made  an  effort  to  raise  money  to  aid  in 
defraying  the  expenses  of  the  voj^age,  and  succeeded 
in  collecting  about  a  hundred  dollars.  From  thence 
we  passed  on  to  Albany,  where  we  fell  in  company 
with  a  number  of  Mr.  Paul's  friends,  who  appeared 
to  be  terribly  indignant,  and  accused  me  of  coming 
there  to  expose  their  friends, — Paul  and  Lewis.  We 
had  some  warm  words  and  unpleasant  conversation, 
after  which  they  left  me  very  unceremoniously,  and 
appeared  to  be  very  angry.  A  short  time  after,  one  of 
them  returned,  and  in  the  most  friendly  manner  in- 
vited me  to  his  house  to  tea.  I  was  glad  of  an  oppor- 
tunity to  show  that  I  harbored  no  unpleasant  feelings 
toward  them,  and  immediately  accompanied  him 
home.  The  moment  that  we  were  all  seated  at  the 
table,  an  unpleasant  suspicion  flashed  through  my 
mind.  The  table,  the  company — all  seemed  familiar 
to  me,  and  connected  with  some  unpleasant  occurrence 
which  I  could  not  then  recall.  But  when  the  lady  of 
the  house  poured  out  a  cup  of  tea,  and  another  was 


DEATH  PREFERRED  TO  SLAVERY.       247 

about  to  pass  it,  I  heard  her  whisper,  "I  intended  that 
for  Mr.  Steward,"  my  dream  for  the  first  time,  flashed 
through  my  mind,  with  all  the  vivid  distinctness  of  a 
real  incident.  I  endeavored  to  drive  it  from  my 
thoughts,  and  did  so.  Pshaw  I  I  said  to  myself;  I 
will  not  be  suspicious  nor  whimsical,  and  I  swallowed 
the  tea ;  then  took  my  leave  for  the  steamboat,  on  our 
way  to  New  York  city. 

When  we  had  passed  a  few  miles  out  of  Albany, 
the  boat  hove  to,  and  there  came  on  board  four  men — 
one  of  the  number  a  colored  man.  The  white  men 
repaired  to  their  state-rooms,  leaving  the  colored  man 
on  deck,  after  the  boat  had  returned  to  the  channel. 
He  attracted  my  attention,  by  his  dejected  appearance 
and  apparent  hopeless  despair.  He  was,  I  judged, 
about  forty  years  of  age ;  his  clothing  coarse  and  very 
ragged;  and  the  most  friendless,  sorrowful  looking 
being  I  ever  saw.  He  spake  to  no  one,  but  silently 
paced  the  deck;  his  breast  heaving  with  inaudible 
sighs ;  his  brow  contracted  with  a  most  terrible  frown ; 
his  eyes  dreamily  fastened  on  the  floor,  and  he  ap- 
peared to  be  considering  on  some  hopeless  undertaking. 
I  watched  him  attentively,  as  I  walked  to  and  fro  on 
the  same  deck,  and  could  clearly  discover  that  some 
fearful  conflict  was  taking  place  in  his  mind ;  but  as  I 
afterwards  repassed  him  he  looked  up  with  a  happy, 
patient  smile,  that  lighted  up  his  whole  countenance, 
which  seemed  to  say  plainly,  I  see  a  way  of  escape, 


248  DESPEKATION  OF  A  FUGITIVE  SLAVE. 

and  have  decided  on  my  course  of  action.  His  whole 
appearance  was  changed;  his  heart  that  before  had 
beat  so  wildly  was  quiet  now  as  the  broad  bosom  of 
the  Hudson,  and  he  gazed  after  me  with  a  look  of 
calm  deliberation,  indicative  of  a  settled,  but  desperate 
purpose.  I  walked  hastily  forward  and  turned 
around,  when,  Oh,  my  God !  what  a  sight  was  there ! 
Holding  still  the  dripping  knife,  with  which  he 
had  cut  his  throat!  and  while  his  life-blood  oozed 
from  the  gaping  wound  and  flowed  over  his  tattered 
garments  to  the  deck,  the  same  exultant  smile  beamed 
on  his  ghastly  features  I 

The  history  of  the  poor,  dejected  creature  was  now 
revealed:  he  had  escaped  from  his  cruel  task-master 
in  Maryland;  but  in  the  midst  of  his  security  and 
delightful  enjoyment^  he  had  been  overtaken  by  the 
human  blood-hound,  and  returned  to  his  avaricious 
and  tyrannical  master,  now  conducting  him  back  to  a 
life  of  Slavery,  to  which  he  rightly  thought  death  was 
far  preferable. 

The  horrors  of  slave  life,  which  he  had  so  long 
endured,  arose  in  all  their  hideous  deformity  in  his 
mind,  hence  the  conflict  of  feeling  which  I  had 
observed, — and  hence  the  change  in  his  whole  appear- 
ance, when  he  had  resolved  to  endure  a  momentary 
pain,  and  escape  a  life-long  scene  of  unrequited  toil 
and  degradation. 

There  happened  to  be  on  the  boat  at  the  time,  several 


PPing  Knife,  with  which  he  had  cut  his  throat » 


page  248 


VISIT  NEW  YORK  CITY.  249 

companies  of  citizen  soldiers,  who,  shocked  by  the  awful 
spectacle,  expressed  their  decided  abhorrence  of  the  in- 
stitution of  Slavery,  declaring  that  it  was  not  for  such 
peculiar  villainy,  that  their  fathers  fought  and  bled  on 
the  battle  field.  So  determined  were  they  in  their 
indignation ;  so  loudly  demanded  they  a  cessation  of 
such  occurrences  on  board  our  boats,  and  the  soil  of 
a  free  State,  that  the  slaveholders  became  greatly 
alarmed,  and  with  all  possible  dispatch  they  hurriedly 
dragged  the  poor  bleeding  slave  into  a  closet,  and 
securely  locked  the  door;  nor  have  I  ever  been  able 
to  learn  his  final  doom.  Whether  the  kindly  messen- 
ger of  death  released  him  from  the  clutches  of  the 
man-stealer,  or  whether  he  recovered  to  serve  his 
brutal  master,  I  have  never  been  informed. 

After  this  exciting  scene  had  passed,  I  began  to 
realize  that  I  was  feeling  quite  ill ;  an  unusual  load 
seemed  to  oppress  my  stomach,  and  by  the  time  we 
had  reached  New  York  city,  I  was  exceedingly  dis- 
tressed. I  hastened  to  a  boarding  house,  kept  by  a 
colored  woman,  who  did  everything  in  her  power  to 
relieve  me ;  but  I  grew  worse  until  I  thought  in 
reality,  I  must  die.  The  lady  supposed  I  was  dying 
of  cholera,  sent  to  Brooklyn  after  Mr.  Nell;  but 
having  previously  administered  an  emetic,  I  began  to 
feel  better;  and  when  I  had  finally  emptied  my 
stomach  of  its  contents,  tea  and  all,  by  vomiting,  I  felt 
into  a  profound  sleep,  from  which  I  awoke  greatly 
L* 


250  DESPEKATION   OF  A  FUGITIVE   SLAVE. 

relieved.  The  kindness  of  that  lady  I  shall  not  soon 
forget.  She  had  a  house  full  of  boarders,  who  would 
have  fled  instantly,  had  they  known  that,  as  she  sup- 
posed, I  was  suffering  from  cholera;  and  instead  of 
sending  me  to  the  hospital,  as  she  might  have  done, 
she  kept  all  quiet  until  it  was  over,  doing  all  she  could 
for  my  relief  and  comfort;  yet,  it  was  a  scene  of 
distress  which  I  hope  may  never  be  repeated. 

On  the  following  morning,  I  saw  in  the  city  papers, 
"A  Card,"  inserted  by  the  owner  of  the  poor  slave 
on  board  the  steamboat,  informing  the  public  that  he 
was  returning  South  with  a  fugitive  slave,  who,  when 
arrested,  evinced  great  willingness  to  return ;  who  had 
confessed  also,  that  he  had  done  very  wrong  in  leaving 
his  master,  for  which  he  was  sorry, — but  he  supposed 
that  the  abolitionists  had  been  tampering  with  him. 
That  was  all !  Not  a  word  about  his  attempt  to  take 
his  life !  Oh  no,  he  merely  wished  to  allay  the  excite- 
ment, that  the  horrid  deed  had  produced  on  the  minds 
of  those  present. 

I  was  indignant  at  the  publication  of  such  si  de- 
liberate falsehood,  and  immediately  wrote  and  publish- 
ed that  I  too  was  on  board  the  same  boat  with  the 
fugitive;  that  I  had  witnessed  an  exhibition  of  his 
willingness  to  return  to  Slavery,  by  seeing  him  cut  his 
throat,  and  lay  on  the  deck  wallowing  in  his  blood ; 
that  the  scene  had  so  excited  the  sympathies  of  the 
soldiers  present,  that  his  owner  had  been  obliged  to 
hurry  him  out  of  their  sight,  &c. 


SEND  A  SECOND  MESSENGER  TO  ENGLAND.     251 

When  this  statement  appeared  in  the  newspapers,  it 
so  exasperated  the  friends  of  the  slaveholder,  that  I 
was  advised  to  flee  from  the  city,  lest  I  might  be 
visited  with  personal  violence;  bnt  I  assured  my 
advisers  that  it  was  only  the  wicked  who  "  flee  when 
no  man  pursueth,  but  the  righteous  are  bold  as  a  lion." 
I  therefore  commenced  the  business  that  brought  me 
to  that  city.  Messrs.  Bloss,  Nell,  and  myself,  made  an 
effort,  and  raised  between  three  and  four  hundred 
dollars  for  the  purpose  of  sending  Mr.  Nell  after  Eev. 
K  Paul. 

Most  of  the  funds  collected,  we  gave  to  Mr.  Nell, 
who  sailed  from  New  York,  and  arrived  safely  in 
England,  just  as  N.  Paul  was  boarding  a  vessel  to 
return  to  New  York. 

Had  Mr.  Nell  acted  honorably,  or  in  accordance 
with  his  instructions,  he  would  have  returned  with 
the  agent ;  but  he  remained  in  England,  and  for  aught 
I  know  is  there  yet.  He  was  sent  expressly  after  Mr. 
Paul,  and  when  he  left  that  kingdom,  Nell's  mission 
was  ended.  He  proved  himself  less  worthy  of  confi- 
dence than  the  agent,  for  he  did  return  when  sent  for, 
and  he  did  account  for  the  money  he  had  collected, 
though  he  retained  it  all ;  but  Mr.  Nell  accounted  for 
nothing  of  the  kind ;  and  if  he  has  ever  returned,  I 
have  not  seen  him.  Mr.  N.  Paul  arrived  in  New 
York  in  the  fall  of  1834,  and  remained  there  through 
the  winter,  to  the  great  disappointment  and  vexation 


252  DESPERATION    OF   A   FUGITIVE    SLAVE. 

of  the  colonists.  I  wrote  him  concerning  our  condition 
and  wants,  hoping  it  wonld  induce  him  to  visit  ns 
immediately ;  but  he  had  married  while  in  England, 
an  English  lady,  who  had  accompanied  him  to  New 
York,  where  they  were  now  living ;  nor  did  he 
appear  to  be  in  any  haste  about  giving  an  account  of 
himself  to  the  board  of  managers  who  had  employed 
him. 


OHAPTEK    XXIX. 


A  NARROW   ESCAPE   FROM   MY   ENEMIES, 

DUEIXGr  my  absence  in  Xew  York  city,  Lewis 
and  his  confederates  .were  prophesying  that  I 
would  never  trouble  thern  more,  and  shaking  their 
heads  quite  ominously  at  the  happy  riddance.  One 
day,  our  hired  man  entered  the  house  and  inquired 
of  my  wife,  when  I  was  expected  home.  She  told 
him  she  did  not  know,  having  received  no  intelligence 
from  me.  He  assured  her  that  a  letter  had  been 
received  by  some  one  in  the  colony;  that  he  had 
seen  it,  and  had  heard  Mr.  Lewis  speak  of  conveying 
it  to  her, — but  as  it  did  not  come,  she  gave  it  irp,  sup- 
posing some  mistake  had  been  made.  I  had,  however, 
written,  naming  the  time  when  she  might  expect  me ; 
but  no  letter  of  mine  reached  her,  during  my  long  ab- 
sence, for  which  she  could  not  acconnt.  A  short  time 
before  that  specified  for  my  return,  a  woman,  whose 
husband  was  an  associate  of  Mr.  Lewis,  came  to  my 


254        A  NARROW  ESCAPE   FEOM  MY  ENEMIES. 

house,  and  urged  my  wife  "to  leave  word  at  the 
village  of  Londou,  to  have  Mr.  Steward  detained 
there,  should  he  arrive  toward  evening,  and  by  no 
means  allow  him  to  start  for  the  colony  after  dark." 
My  family  had  so  often  been  alarmed  by  such  warn- 
ings, and  had  so  frequently  been  annoyed  by  the 
violent  threatenings  of  Lewis,  that  they  ceased  to 
regard  them,  and  paid  little  attention  to  this  one. 

I  arrived  at  London  on  the  day  I  had  appointed  for 
my  return,  but  was  detained  there  until  a  late  hour ; 
feeling  anxious,  however,  to  get  home  that  night, 
supposing  that  I  was  expected, — I  therefore  hired  a 
horse  to  ride  the  remaining  fifteen  miles  to  the  settle- 
ment. 

The  road  from  London  to  Wilberforce  led  through 
a  swamp,  known  as  "McConnell's  Dismal  Swamp," 
and  it  was  indeed,  one  of  the  most  dreary  places  in  all 
that  section  of  country.  I  am  certain  that  a  hundred 
men  might  conceal  themselves  within  a  rod  of  the 
highway,  without  being  discovered. 

The  horse  I  had  engaged,  was  a  high  spirited 
animal,  and  to  that  fact,  I  doubtless  owe  my  life.  The 
moon  shone  brightly,  and  nothing  broke  the  stillness 
of  the  night,  as  I  rode  onward,  but  the  clatter  of  my 
horse's  hoofs,  and  an  occasional  "bow-wow"  of  some 
faithful  watch-dog. 

When  I  reached  the  swamp  and  entered  its  darkened 
.recesses,  the  gloom  and  stillness  was  indeed  fearful ; 


255 


my  horse  started  at  every  rustling  leaf  or  crackling 
brush,  until  I  attempted  to  pass  a  dense  thicket,  when 
I  was  started  by  the  sharp  crack  of  a  rifle,  and  a 
bullet  whizzed  past  me,  close  to  my  ear !  The  fright- 
ened horse  reared  and  plunged,  and  then  springing  as 
if  for  life,  he  shot  off  like  an  arrow,  amid  the  explo- 
sion of  fire  arms  discharged  at  me  as  I  rode  away.  I 
lost  my  balance  at  first,  and  came  near  falling,  but 
recovering  it  I  grasped  the  rein  tightly,  while  my 
fiery  steed  flew'  over  the  ground  with  lightning  speed ; 
nor  did  I  succeed  in  controlling  him  until  he  had  run 
two  miles,  which  brought  me  to  my  own  door. 

I  found  my  family  well,  and  very  grateful  that  I 
had  arrived  safely  after  so  fearful  an  encounter. 

When  morning  came  I  sent  a  person  out  to  inquire 
whether  any  of  the  settlers  were  out  the  night  pre- 
vious, and  the  report  was,  "Israel  Lewis  and  two 
other  men  were  out  all  night ;  that  they  had  been  seen 
near  the  Dismal  Swamp ; "  moreover,  Lewis  was  seen 
to  come  in  that  morning  with  his  boots  covered  with 
swamp  mud, — these  the  Eev.  Mr.  Paul's  boys  cleaned 
for  him,  all  of  which  was  evidence  that  he  it  was, 
who  had  way -laid  me  with  criminal  intent. 

I  afterwards  learned,  that  those  three  men  left  the 
settlement  at  dusk,  for  the  swamp ;  that  they  stationed 
themselves  one  rod  apart,  all  on  one  side  of  the  road, 
each  man  with  a  loaded  rifle, — the  poorest  marksman 
was  to  fire  first,  and  if  he  did  not  bring  me  down, 


256        A  NARKOW  ESCAPE  FROM  MY  ENEMIES. 

probably  the  second  would;  but  Lewis  being  the 
best  shot  of  the  three,  was  to  reserve  his  fire  until 
the  last,  which  they  supposed  I  could  not  escape.  It 
was  quite  dark  in  the  thicket,  and  my  spirited  horse 
plunged  in  every  direction  so  furiously,  that  they 
could  take  no  aim  at  me,  until  he  had  started  to  run, 
when  we  were  soon  beyond  their  reach. 

"We  had  already  had  so  much  difficulty  in  our  little 
colony  that  we  were  getting  heartily  sick  of  it.  I  was 
well  aware  that  Lewis  was  thirsting  for  revenge ;  that 
he  wished  to  do  me  a  great  wrong ;  and  yet  I  was 
thankful  on  his  account,  as  well  as  on  my  own,  that 
he  had  been  prevented  from  imbruing  his  hands  in 
the  blood  of  a  fellow  being. 

Had  he  succeeded  in  taking  my  life,  as  he  undoubt- 
edly intended  to  do,  he  would  have  been  arrested 
immediately,  and  most  likely  punished  as  a  murderer. 
He  had  boldly  threatened  my  life,  and  the  colonists 
were  expecting  something  of  the  kind  to  take  place. 
Had  I  not  arrived  at  the  colony,  it  was  known  at 
London  that  I  had  started  for  the  settlement  that 
night,  and  an  immediate  search  would  have  been  insti- 
tuted ;  nor  could  the  wicked  deed  have  brought  the 
least  peace  to  the  mind  of  Lewis  or  his  companions. 

"  No  peace  of  mind  'does  that  man  know, 

Who  bears  a  guilty  "breast ; 
His  conscience  drives  him  to  and  fro, 

And  never  lets  him  rest." 


CHAPTEE  XXX 


DEATH  OF  B.  PAUL,  AND  RETURN  OF  HIS  BROTHER. 

THE  bold  and  wicked  attempt  to  take  my  life, 
recorded  in  the  preceding  chapter,  aroused  a 
feeling  of  indignation  in  the  community  against 
Lewis,  and  completely  destroyed  the  little  influence  he 
had  left ;  moreover,  he  had  now  been  so  extensively 
published  as  an  impostor,  that  he  could  collect  no 
more  money  on  the  false  pretense  of  raising  it  for  the 
benefit  of  the  colony.  As  soon  as  his  money  was 
gone  and  his  influence  destroyed, — many  who  had  been 
his  firmest  friends,  turned  against  him,  and  among  this 
class  was  the  Rev.  Benjamin  Paul.  He  had  ever  pro- 
fessed the  greatest  friendship  for,  and  interest  in  the 
success  of  Mr.  Lewis.  Heretofore,  whenever  he  went 
to  the  States  he  was  commissioned  by  that  gentleman's 
family,  to  purchase  a  long  list  of  expensive  articles, 
which  the  poor  colonists  were  seldom  able  to  buy; 
and  he  generally  returned  to  them  richly  laden  with 


258  DEATH   OF   BENJAMIN   PAUL. 

goods,  purchased  with  money  given  to  the  poor,  sick, 
and  destitute  in  the  colony. 

Mr.  B.  Paul  had  ever  been  a  very  proud  man,  but 
not  a  very  healthy  one.  He  was  inclined  to  pulmo- 
nary diseases ;  but  had  kept  up  pretty  well,  until  Lewis 
was  effectually  put  down,  and  his  own  character 
involved  in  many  of  his  notorious  proceedings,  to- 
gether with  the  disappointment  occasioned  by  his 
brother  remaining  so  long  in  England,  when  his 
health  failed,  and  he  sank  rapidly  under  accumulating 
disasters,  to  the  grave. 

The  Welshmen  had  partially  engaged  him  to  preach 
for  them  the  ensuing  year,  but  something  they  had 
heard  of  him  changed  their  minds,  and  they  were  about 
appointing  a  meeting  to  investigate  his  conduct,  when 
they  were  informed  of  his  illness,  and  concluded  to 
let  it  pass.  His  son,  with  whom  he  lived,  became 
deranged,  and  his  oldest  daughter  on  whom  he  was 
greatly  dependent,  had  been  dismissed  from  school, 
where  she  had  been  for  some  time  engaged  in  teach- 
ing. All  these  unpleasant  circumstances  in  his  sickly 
state  weighed  heavily  upon  his  proud  heart ;  and  he 
not  only  declined  in  health,  but  sank  into  a  state  of 
melancholy  and  remorse  for  his  past  course  of  living. 
As  he  lay  pining  and  murmuring  on  his  death  bed,  I 
could  but  reflect  how  different  the  scene  from  that  of 
an  apostle  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  could  exclaim, 
when  about  to  be  offered,  "I  have  fought  a  good  fight, 


DEATH-BED   SCENE.  259 

I  have  finished  my  course,  I  have  kept  the  faith; 
henceforth  there  is  laid  up  for  me  a  crown  of  right- 
eousness." 

I  called  to  see  him  as  he  lay.  writhing  in  agony,  his 
sunken  eyes  gleaming  wildly,  rolling  and  tossing  from 
side  to  side,  while  great  drops  of  perspiration  stood 
upon  his  forehead,  continually  lamenting  his  misspent 
time,  and  the  life  he  had  led !  He  took  my  hand  in  his 
cold,  bony  fingers,  thanking  me  that  I  did  not  so  despise 
him,  that  I  could  not  come  to  see  him  in  his  sorrow 
and  affliction.  Generally,  however,  when  he  raved 
and  talked  of  his  wicked  life,  his  family  excluded  all 
persons  from  his  room  except  his  attendants. 

Pride,  which  had  ever  been  his  besetting  sin,  dis- 
played itself  in  his  conduct  to  the  last,  for  he  had  a 
lengthy  will  made,  dispensing  some  sixteen  hundred 
dollars  to  different  individuals,  when  he  must  have 
known  that  his  whole  possessions  would  not  amount 
to  half  that  sum.  As  I  looked  upon  him  I  could 
but  reflect  on  the  mysterious  ways  of  Providence. 
Before  me  lay  a  man,  who  had  for  years  arrayed  him- 
self against  me,  using  all  his  influence  as  a  man  and  a 
minister  to  injure  me,  by  setting  Lewis  forward  in  his 
wickedness ;  his  family  living  in  extravagance  and  a 
style  far  beyond  their  means,  while  mine  had  labored 
hard  and  were  sometimes  destitute,  often  harrassed 
and  perplexed  on  every  side  by  himself  and  party. 
And  .for   what?     Because   I  would  not  join  hands 


260  DEATH   OF   BENJAMIN   PAUL. 

with  iniquity,  and  deeds  of  darkness.  Notwithstanding 
the  contrast,  when  I  heard  his  bitter  lamentations  and 
self-reproaches,  I  could  lift  my  heart  to  God,  in 
gratitude  for  His  protecting  goodness,  which  had 
preserved  me  an  honest  man.  I  had  often  erred  no 
doubt,  but  it  had  never  been  designedly;  and  never 
did  I  value  a  good  conscience  more  than  when  stand- 
ing by  the  death-bed  of  Benjamin  Paul,  who  now  had 
passed  the  Jordan  of  death ;  and  it  is  enough  to  know 
that  his  future,  whether  of  joy  or  woe,  will  be  meted 
out  to  him,  by  a  merciful  and  just  God, — nevertheless, 
his  last  moments  on  earth  were  such  as  ought  to 
arouse  every  professed  christian,  to  redoubled  diligence 
in  watchfulness  and  prayer,  lest  they  fall  into  tempta- 
tion,— lest  they  determine  to  become  rich,  and  thereby 
fall  into  diverse  and  hurtful  lusts,  and  pierce  them- 
selves through  with  many  sorrows. 

Soon  after  the  event  above  narrated,  a  law  was 
passed  in  the  Province,  allowing  each  township  to 
elect  three  commissioners,  whose  duty  it  should  be,  to 
transact  the  public  business  pertaining  to  the  township. 
Each  township  should  also  elect  one  township  clerk, 
whose  business  it  should  be,  to  hold  and  keep  all 
moneys,  books,  and  papers  belonging  to  said  town; 
with  power  to  administer  oaths,  and  in  fact,  he,  with 
the  commissioners,  were  to  constitute  a  board,  possess- 
ing all  the  power  of  a  court,  in  relation  to  township 
business. 


ELECTED  TOWNSHIP   CLERK.  261 

In  our  colony,  located  in  the  township  of  Bidulph, 
the  colored  people  were  a  large  majority  of  the  inhab- 
itants, which  gave  us  the  power  to  elect  commisioners 
from  our  own  settlement,  and  therefore,  three  black 
men  where  duly  chosen,  who  entered  on  the  duties  of 
their  office,  while  your  humble  servant,  A.  Steward, 
was  elected  township  clerk,  with  all  the  responsi- 
bility of  the  office  resting  upon  him  and  the  same 
power  given  him  as  though  he  had  been  born  in 
Her  Brittanic  Majesty's  dominion,  with  a  face  as 
white  as  the  driven  snow.  I  felt  the  responsibility 
of  my  office,  but  not  more  deeply  than  I  did  this 
assurance  of  entire  confidence,  and  respect  shown  me 
by  my  townsmen,  after  all  the  cruel  persecutions  I  had 
met;  after  all  the  accusations  of  theft,  forgery,  &c, 
that  vicious  person  could  bring  against  me. 

The  Eev.  Nathaniel  Paul,  with  his  lady,  arrived  at 
Wilberforce  in  the  spring  of  1835,  to  the  great  joy  of 
the  colonists,  to  find  that  his  brother  had  gone  the 
way  of  all  the  earth,  and  his  remains  quietly  resting 
on  his  own  premises,  where  his  afflicted  family  still 
resided. 

In  the  colony  there  was  a  great  deal  of  excitement 
regarding  the  course  our  agent  would  pursue,  and  all 
waited  with  anxious  expectancy  to  see  him  enrich  the 
treasury  with  his  long-promised  collections! 

We  had  agreed,  on  sending  him  forth  as  an  agent 
for  the  colony,  to  give  him  fifty  dollars  per  month  for 
his  services,  besides  bearing  his  expenses 


262  RETURN   OF   REV.    NATHANIEL    PAUL. 

The  reverend  gentleman,  charged,  on  his  return  to 
the  colony,  the  sum  specified,  for  four  years,  three 
months  and  twenty  days.  We  spent  several  days  in 
auditing  his  account,  with  increased  fearful  forebod- 
ings. "We  found  his  receipts  to  be,  in  the  United 
Kingdoms  of  Great  Britain,  one  thousand  six  hundred 
and  eighty-three  pounds,  nineteen  shillings;  or,  eight 
thousand  and  fifteen  dollars,  eighty  cent"  His  expen- 
ditures amounted  to  one  thousand  four  hundred  and 
three  pounds,  nineteen  shillings ;  or,  seven  thousand  and 
nineteen  dollars,  eighty  cents.  Then  his  wages  for  over 
four  years,  at  fifty  dollars  per  month,  left  a  balance 
against  the  board  of  several  hundred  dollars,  which 
we  had  no  funds  to  cancel,  inasmuch  as  the  reverend 
gentleman  had  paid  us  nothing  of  all  he  had  collected 
in  Europe,  nor  even  paid  a  farthing  toward  liquidating 
the  debts  incurred  for  his  outfit  and  expenses. 

There  was  also  in  Mr.  Paul's  charge  against  the 
board  of  managers,  an  item  of  two  hundred  do  iars, 
which  he  had  paid  to  Wm.  Loyd  Garrison,  while  that 
gentleman  was  also  in  England ;  but  by  whose  author- 
ity he  had  paid  or  given  it,  it  was  hard  to  determine. 
We  gave  him  no  orders  to  make  donations  of  any 
kind.  To  take  the  liberty  to  do  so,  and  then  to  charge 
it  to  our  poor  and  suffering  colony,  seemed  hard  to 
bear;  still  we  allowed  the  charge.  Had  we,  in  our 
straitened  and  almost  destitute  circumstances,  made  a 
donation  of  that,  to  us,  large  sum  of  money  to  Mr. 


NO  AID  KECEIVED  FKOM   PAULAS   LABOES        263 

Garrison  or  any  body  else,  certainly  we  should,  at 
least,  have  had  the  credit  of  it;  and  as  Mr.  Garrison 
had  made  no  acknowledgment  of  the  receipt,  I  wrote 
him  on  the  subject,  and  his  answer  will  be  found, 
heading  our  correspondence,  in  this  volume. 

Not  a  dollar  did  the  treasurer  ever  receive  of  the 
Kev.  N.  Paul,  unless  we  call  the  donations  he  had 
made  without  our  permission,  a  payment.  He  did,  it 
is  true,  award  to  the  board,  the  sum  of  two  hundred 
dollars,  paid  by  him  to  Mr.  Garrison,  and  fifty  dollars 
more  given  by  himself  to  Mr.  Nell,  on  his  departure 
from  England.  Not  a  farthing  could  we  get  of  him ; 
and  in  short,  as  far  as  the  monied  interest  of  the 
colony  was  concerned,  his  mission  proved  an  entire 
failure.  How  much  good  the  reverend  gentleman 
may  have  done  in  spreading  anti-slavery  truth,  during 
his  stay  in  Europe,  is  not  for  me  to  say.  The  English, 
at  that  time  held  slaves;  and  report  speaks  well  of  his 
labors  and  endeavors  to  open  the  eyes  of  that  nation 
to  the  sin  of  slavery  and  the  injustice  of  the  coloniza- 
tion scheme.  It  is  said  that  he  continually  addressed 
crowded  and  deeply  interested  audiences,  and  that 
many  after  hearing  him,  firmly  resolved  to  exert 
themselves,  until  every  chain  was  broken  and  every 
bondman  freed  beneath  the  waving  banner  of  the 
British  Lion.  Perhaps  his  arduous  labors  assisted  in 
freeing  the  West  India  islands  of  the  hateful  curse  of 


2G4  RETURN  OF  REV.   NATHANIEL  PAUL. 

Slavery;  if  so,  we  shall  not  so  much  regret  the  losses 
and  severe  trials,  it  was  ours  to  bear  at  that  time. 

The  indignant  and  disappointed  colonists,  however, 
took  no  snch  view  of  his  mission ;  and  knowing  as 
they  did,  that  he  had  paid  not  a  cent  of  cash  into  the 
treasury,  nor  liquidated  one  debt  incurred  on  his 
account,  they  became  excited  well  nigh  to  fury, — so 
much  so,  that  at  one  time  we  found  it  nearly  impos- 
sible to  restrain  them  from  having  recourse  to  Lynch 
law.  They  thought  that  the  reverend  gentleman 
must  have  large  sums  of  money  at  his  command 
somewhere — judging  from  his  appearance  and  mode 
of  living,  and  that  a  little  wholesome  punishment 
administered  to  his  reverence,  by  grave  Judge  Lynch, 
enthroned  upon  a  "cotton  bale,"  might  possibly  bring 
him  to  terms,  and  induce  him  to  disgorge'  some  of  his 
ill-gotten  wealth,  which  he  so  freely  lavished  upon 
himself,  and  was  withholding  from  those  to  whose 
wants  it  had  been  kindly  contributed. 

Just,  as  was  their  dissatisfaction,  I  was  satisfied  by 
the  examination  of  his  accounts,  that  he  had  spent 
nearly  all  of  the  money  collected  for  us ;  his  expenses 
had  been  considerable ;  beside,  he  had  fallen  in  love, 
during  his  stay  in  England,  with  a  white  woman,  and 
I  suppose  it  must  have  required  both  time  and  money 
to  woo  and  win  so  fine  and  fair  an  English  lady,  said 
also  to  possess  quite  a  little  sum  of  money,  that  is, 


BXTEAVAGANCE  IN  THE  WOODS.  265 

everal  thousand  dollars,  all  of  which  our  poor,  little 
suffering  colony  must  pay  for, — the  reverend  gentle- 
man's statement  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding. 

We  succeeded  at  last,  after  a  tedious  effort,  in  satis- 
fying the  minds  of  the  settlers  to  the  extent,  that  a 
violent  outbreak  was  no  longer  to  be  feared  or 
dreaded.  When  all  was  quiet  in  the  colony,  I  ven- 
turned  to  make  my  first  call  on  the  wife  of  N".  Paul, 
who  was  then  stopping  with  the  widow  of  the  late 
Eev.  B.  Paul,  residing  some  three  miles  from  us. 

The  houses  of  the  colonists  were  generally  built  of 
logs,  hewn  on  both  sides,  the  spaces  chinked  with  mor- 
tar, and  the  roof  constructed  of  boards.  The  lower 
part  was  generally  left  in  one  large  room,  and  when 
another  apartment  was  desired,  it  was  made  by  draw- 
ing a  curtain  across  it.  When  we  arrived  at  the 
residence  of  Mrs.  Paul,  we  were  immediately  ushered 
into  the  presence  of  Mrs.  Nathaniel  Paul,  whom  we 
found  in  an  inner  apartment,  made  by  drawn  curtains, 
carpeted  in  an  expensive  style,  where  she  was  seated 
like  a  queen  in  state, — with  a  veil  floating  from  her 
head  to  the  floor ;  a  gold  chain  encircling  her  neck, 
and  attached  to  a  gold  watch  in  her  girdle ;  her  fingers 
and  person  sparkling  with  costly  jewelry.  Her 
manners  were  stiff  and  formal,  nor  was  she  handsome, 
but  a  tolerably  fair  looking  woman,  of  about  thirty 
years  of  age:  and  this  was  the  wife  of  our  agent  for 
the  poor  Wilberforce  colony ! 
M 


266     RETURN  OF  REV.  NATHANIEL  PAUL. 

K  Paul  had  now  settled  his  business  with  the 
colonists,  and  being  about  to  leave  for  the  States,  we 
appealed  to  his  honor  as  a  man  and  a  Christian,  to  call 
at  Eochester  and  pay  the  seven  hundred  dollar  bank 
debt,  for  which  he  was  justly  and  legally  holden,  and 
relieve  honorably,  those  kind  gentlemen  who  had 
raised  the  money  for  him.  He  well  knew  the  condi- 
tion of  our  friend  E.  Peck,  and  that  the  names  of 
some  of  our  colored  friends  were  also  attached  to  the 
note ;  all  of  whom  were  relying  implicitly  on  his  or 
our  honor  to  pay  the  obligation.  That  we  had  no  funds 
in  the  treasury  he  was  well  aware;  also,  that  all  were 
deeply  concerned  about  that  debt.  All  this  he  knew ; 
and  in  answer  to  our  earnest  and  repeated  injunction, 
he  promised  most  faithfully  and  solemnly  that  he 
would  call  at  Eochester,  and  take  up  the  note.  On 
those  conditions  he  was  allowed  to  leave  the  colony, 
and  when  parting  with  me,  no  more  to  meet  in  this 
life,  his  last  assurance  was,  that  he  would  cancel  that 
obligation.  What  then  could  we  think  of  his  word, 
when  we  learned  soon  after  that  he  passed  Eochester, 
without  calling,  direct  to  Albany;  nor  did  he  ever 
return,  or  make  any  explanation  of  his  conduct ;  nor 
prive  any  reason  why  his  promise  was  not  redeemed 
and  the  money  p:Md. 

He  preached  in  Albany  until  his  health  failed,  then 
he  was  obliged  to  live  the  best  way  he  could,  and  at 
last  to  depend  on  charity. 


DOMESTIC  TRIALS  AND  DEATH  OF  N.  PAUL.      267 

His  disease  was  dropsy,  from  which  he  suffered 
deeply,  being  unable  to  lie  down  for  some  time  pre- 
vious to  his  death.  I  have  been  told  that  his  domestic 
life  was  far  from  a  peaceable  or  happy  one,  and  that 
in  poverty,  sorrow  and  affliction,  he  lingered  on  a  long 
time,  till  death  at  last  closed  the  scene. 


CHAPTEE    XXXI 


MY  FAMILY  RETURN  TO   ROCHESTER. 

I  "WAS  now  seriously  meditating  a  return  to 
Kochester.  My  purpose  in  going  to  Canada,  has 
already  been  made  known  to  the  reader,  as  well  as 
some  of  the  disappointments  I  met,  and  some  of  the 
trials  and  difficulties  I  had  to  encounter. 

Now,  after  laboring,  and  suffering  persecution  for 
about  five  years,  my  way  was  comparatively  clear;  still 
I  wished  to  leave  the  Province  and  return  to  the  States, 
in  which  prospect  my  family  greatly  rejoiced.  Doubt- 
less most  persons  in  the  position  I  then  occupied, 
would  have  chosen  to  remain ;  but  for  several  reasons, 
I  did  not. 

Notwithstanding  I  had  been  during  my  youth,  a 
poor,  friendless,  and  illiterate  slave,  I  had,  through  the 
mercy  of  Grod  and  the  kindness  of  friends,  not  only  ob- 
tained my  freedom,  but  I  had  by  the  industry  and  per- 
severance of  a  few  years,  acquired  a  tolerable  English 


HAD  A  COMPETENCY  ON  LEAVING  ROCHESTER.   269 

education,  established  a  profitable  business,  built  for 
myself  a  good  and  extensive  business  reputation,  and 
had  laid  the  foundation  for  increasing  wealth  and 
entire  independence. 

Indeed,  so  far  as  a  competency  is  concerned,  I  pos- 
sessed that  when  I  left  Eochester.  My  house  and 
land  was  paid  for;  my  store  also,  and  the  goods  it 
contained  were  free  from  debt;  beside,  I  had  several 
hundred  dollars  in  the  bank  for  future  use, — nor  do  I 
boast,  when  I  say  that  the  comfort  and  happiness  of 
myself  and  family,  required  no  further  exertion  on 
my  part  to  better  our  worldly  condition.  We  were 
living  in  one  of  the  best  countries  on  the  earth,  sur- 
rounded by  friends, — good  and  intelligent  society,  and 
some  of  the  noblest  specimens  of  christian  philan- 
thropy in  the  world.  My  wife  and  children,  had  not 
only  been  accustomed  to  the  comforts,  if  not  the 
luxuries  of  life,  but  also  to  associate  with  persons  of 
refinement  and  cultivation;  and  although  they  had 
willingly  accompanied  me  to  Canada,  where  they  had 
experienced  little  less  than  care,  labor  and  sorrow,  it 
cannot  be  thought  very  strange  that  they  should 
desire  to  return.  We  were  colored  people  to  be  sure, 
and  were  too  often  made  to  feel  the  weight  of  that 
cruel  prejudice,  which  small  minds  with  a  perverted 
education,  know  so  well  how  to  heap  upon  the  best 
endeavors  of  our  oppressed  race.  Yet  truth  and 
justice  to  my  friends,  compel  me  to  say,  that  after  a 


270  MY  FAMILY  RETURN  TO  ^ROCHESTER. 

short  acquaintance,  I  have  usually  been  treated  with 
all  that  kindness  and  confidence,  which  should  exist 
between  man  and  man. 

At  my  house  of  entertainment  in  Canada,  it  was 
not  uncommon  for  gentlemen  of  my  former  acquain- 
tances, to  stop  for  a  friendly  chat;  merchants,  jour- 
neying through  our  settlement,  after  goods,  would 
frequently  call,  with  their  money,  watches,  and  other 
valuables,  carefully  concealed  about  their  persons ;  but 
when  they  learned  our  name,  and  had  become  ac- 
quainted a  little,  they  would  not  only  freely  expose 
their  wealth,  but  often  place  all  their  money  and 
valuables  in  my  hands,  for  safe  keeping;  nor  was 
their  confidence  ever  misplaced  to  my  knowledge. 

Another  thing:  when  I  went  to  Wilberforce,  I  sup- 
posed that  the  colonists  would  purchase  the  whole 
township  of  Bidulph,  and  pay  for  it,  which  might 
have  been  done,  had  they  been  fortunate  enough  to 
put  forward  better  men.  Then  when  we  had  a  suffi- 
cient number  of  inhabitants,  we  could  have  sent  a 
member  to  Parliament,  one  of  our  own  race,  to  repre- 
sent the  interests  of  our  colony.  In  all  this  we  were 
disappointed.  The  Canada  Company,  in  their  unjust 
judgment  of  a  whole  people,  by  one  dishonest  man, 
had  stopped  the  sale  of  lands  -to  colored  persons,  which 
of  course,  put  an  end  to  the  emigration  of  respectable 
and  intelligent  colored  men  to  that  place;  nor  was 
there  any  prospect  of  a  favorable  change.     Moreover, 


DEPARTURE  FROM  WILBERFORCE.  271 

the  persecutions  which  gave  rise  to  the  colony,  had  in 
a  great  measure  ceased ;  anti-slavery  truth  was  taking 
effect  on  the  minds  of  the  people,  and  God  was  raising 
up  many  a  friend  for  the  poor  slave,  to  plead  with 
eloquent  speech  and  tears,  the  cause  of  the  dumb  and 
down-trodden. 

These,  with  other  considerations,  influenced  me  in 
my  decision  to  leave  Canada.  As  soon,  however,  as 
my  intentions  were  made  known,  I  was  importuned 
on  all  sides,  by  persons  both  in  and  out  of  the  settle- 
ment, to  remain  awhile  longer,  at  least.  This  will  be 
seen  by  a  reference  to  the  appendix. 

After  due  deliberation,  I  concluded  to  send  'my 
family  to  the  States,  and  remain  myself,  until  my  year 
should  terminate,  for  which  I  had  been  elected  town- 
ship clerk.  In  accordance  with  this  determination,  I 
made  preparation  to  take  my  family  to  Port  Stanley, 
forty  miles  distant.  But  what  a  contrast  was  there  be- 
tween our  leaving  Rochester,  five  years  before,  and  our 
removing  from  the  colony !  Then,  we  had  five  two- 
horse  wagou  loads  of  goods  and  furniture,  and  seven 
in  family;  now,  our  possessions  were  only  a  few 
articles,  in  a  one-horse  wagon,  with  an  addition  of  two 
members  to  our  household !  The  settlers  collected 
about  us,  to  take  an  affectionate  leave  of  my  wife  and 
children;  but  tears  and  sobs,  prevented  an  utterance 
of  more  than  a  "  Grod  bless  you,"  and  a  few  like  expres- 
sions.    The  scene  was  indeed  an  affecting  one:  all  the 


272  MY  FAMILY  RETURN  TO  ROCHESTER 

wear j  days  of  our  labor;  all  the  trials  and  difficulties 
we  had  passed;  all  the  sweet  communion  we  had 
enjoyed  in  our  religious  and  social  meetings;  all  the 
acts  of  neighborly  kindness,  seemed  now  to  be  indel- 
ibly impressed  on  every  memory,  and  we  felt  that  a 
mutual  regard  and  friendship  had  bound  us  closei 
to  each  other,  in  the  endearing  bonds  of  Christian 
brotherhood — bonds  not  to  be  broken  by  the  adverse 
scenes  incident  to  frail  human  life. 

Arrived  at  Port  Stanley,  we  were  kindly  entertained 
by  a  Mr.  White,  a  fugitive  slave  from  Virginia,  who 
owned  a  snag  little  farm  on  the  bank  of  Kettle  Creek, 
and  who  appeared  to  be  in  a  good  and  prosperous 
condition.  Being  detained  there,  waiting  for  a  boat, 
on  which  I  was  anxious  to  see  my  family  comfort- 
ably situated  before  I  left  them,  I  was  aroused  at  an 
early  hour  on  the  second  morning  of  our  stay,  by  a 
loud  rapping  at  the  door ;  and  hearing  myself  inquired 
for,  I  dressed  myself  immediately,  and  followed  Mr. 
White  into  the  sitting  room,  where  I  saw  two  strange 
men,  armed  with  bludgeons!  I  soon  learned,  how- 
ever, that  one  of  them  was  the  under-sheriff,  who  had 
come  to  arrest  me  for  a  debt  of  about  forty  dollars, 
and  the  other  armed  man  had  come  to  assist  him.  I 
assured  them  I  was  ready  to  accompany  them  back  to 
London,  which  I  was  obliged  to  do,  a  prisoner,  leaving 
my  family  among  comparative  strangers.  The  debt 
had  become  due  to  a  man  who  had  worked  for  us  in 


CLOSE   UP  BUSINESS  AT  WILBERFORCE.  273 

the  building  of  a  saw-mill.  I  arranged  the  matter 
without  going  to  jail,  but  before  I  could  return  to 
Port  Stanley,  my  family,  kindly  assisted  by  Mr. 
White,  had  departed  for  Buffalo.  The  weather  was 
cold  and  the  lake  very  rough,  but  they  safely  arrived 
in  Eochester,  after  a  journey  of  three  days.  During 
their  passage  up  the  lake  my  oldest  daughter  took  a 
severe  cold,  from  which  she  never  recovered. 

I  returned  to  the  colony  to  attend  to  the  duties  of 
my  office,  and  to  close  my  business  with  the  colony, 
preparatory  to  joining  my  family,  who  were  now 
settled  in  Eochester,  but  in  very  different  circum- 
stances from  those  in  which  they  had  left  it.  I  had 
deposited  quite  a  sum  of  money  in  the  Eochester 
Bank ;  but  our  continual  expenditures  at  Wilberforce, 
in  my  journeyings  for  the  benefit  of  the  colony,,  and 
in  the  transacting  of  business  pertaining  to  its  inter- 
ests, had  left  not  one  dollar  for  the  support  of  my 
family,  or  to  give  me  another  start  in  business. 
Nevertheless,  I  felt  willing  to  submit  the  case  to  Him 
who  had  known  the  purity  of  my  intentions,  and 
who  had  hitherto  "  led  me  through  scenes  dark  and 
drear,"  believing  he  would  not  forsake  me  now,  in 
this  time  of  need. 

Consoling  myself  with  these  reflections,  I  renewed 
my  endeavors  to  do  my  best,  leaving  the  event  with 
my  God. 

M* 


CHAPTER    XXXII. 


THE  LAND  AGENT  AND  THE  SQUATTER. 

I  HA  YE  named,  I  believe,  that  all  the  colored 
people,  who  purchased  lands  of  Lewis,  could  get 
no  deed  nor  any  remuneration  for  their  improvements. 
This  they  thought  hard  and  unfair.  Some  had  built 
a  house  and  barn,  cleared  land,  &c;  but  when  they 
wished  to  pay  for  their  farms,  they  could  get  no  deed, 
and  were  obliged  to  lose  all  their  labor. 

This  raised  such  a  general  complaint  against  the 
land  agents,  that  they  finally  agreed  to  pay  the  squat- 
ters for  their  improvements,  if  they  would  leave  their 
farms.  An  opportunity  was  soon  offered  to  test  their 
sincerity  in  this  agreement.  A  shrewd  fellow,  who 
had  been  many  years  a  sailor,  named  William  Smith, 
&ad  made  valuable  improvements  on  land,  for  which 
tie  could  get  no  deed,  and  then  he  wished  to  leave  it. 
His  wife,  also,  died  about  this  time,  leaving  him  with 
eight  children,  which  determined  him  to  leave  the 


FRAUDULENT  LAND  AGENTS.  275 

colony,  and  after  providing  homes  for  his  children,  to 
return  to  his  former  occupation  on  the  high  seas ;  but 
he  also  determined  not  to  leave  without  receiving  the 
pay  which  the  agents  had  agreed  to  give  for  his  im- 
provements. 

"  Oh  yes,"  said  they,  in  answer  to  his  repeated  soli- 
citations, "you  shall  be  paid,  certainly,  certainly;  you 
shall  be  paid  every  farthing."  But  when  the  appointed 
day  came  for  the  pompous  land  agents  to  ride  through 
the  settlement,  you  might  see  Smith  station  himself  at 
first  one  and  then  another  conspicuous  place  on  the 
road,  hoping  they  would  have  the  magnanimity  to 
stop  and  pay  him,  especially,  as  he  had  informed  them 
of  his  destitute  and  almost  desperate  condition,  with 
eight  young  children  to  maintain,  and  no  means  to  do 
so,  after  giving  up  to  them  the  farm.  Before  them  as 
usual  rode  their  body  servant,  of  whom  Smith  would 
inquire  at  what  hour  the  agents  might  be  expected. 
And  most  blandly  would  he  be  informed  of  some 
particular  hour,  when  perhaps,  within  the  next  ten 
minutes,  the  lordly  agent  would  fly  past  him,  on  their 
foaming  steeds,  with  the  speed  of  a  "lightning  train." 
This  course  they  repeated  again  and  again.  One  day, 
when  all  of  the  land  agents  rode  through  the  settle- 
ment in  this  manner,  Smith  followed  them  on  foot 
over  fifty  miles.  He  at  last  intercepted  them,  and  they 
promised  with  the  coolest  indifference,  that  on  a  cer- 
tain day,  not  far  distant,  they  would  certainly  pay  him 


276    THE  LAND  AGENT  AND  THE  SQUATTER. 

all  he  claimed,  if  he  would  meet  them  at  a  certain 
hotel  in  London.  To  this  he  agreed;  and  the  poor 
fellow  returned  to  the  colony  almost  exhausted. 

His  funds  were  nearly  all  spent,  and  he  wished  to 
take  his  children  to  New  York ;  yet  his  only  hope  was 
in  the  integrity  and  honor  of  the  land  agents. 

On  the  day  appointed,  he  was  at  London  long  before 
the  hour  to  meet,  had  arrived.  He  entered  the  village 
with  a  determined  air,  and  saw  the  agents  just  riding 
up  to  a  hotel, — but  not  the  one  they  had  told  him  to 
call  at.  He,  however,  waited  for  no  invitation,  but 
entered  the  hotel  and  inquired  of  the  servant  for  his 
master.     He  said  his  master  was  not  there ! 

"I  know  he  is,  said  Smith,  "  and  I  want  to  see 
him." 

The  servant  withdrew,  but  soon  returned  to  say 
that  his  master  was  engaged  and  could  not  see  him 
that  day.  Smith  followed  the  servant  into  the  hall, 
calling  out  to  him  in  the  most  boisterous  manner, 
demanding  to  be  told  the  reason  why  he  could  not  see 
his  master.  The  noise  which  Smith  purposely  made, 
soon  brought  into  the  hall  one  of  the  agents,  a  Mr. 
Longworth,  a  short,  fat  man, — weighing  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  three  hundred  pounds!  When  he  saw 
Smith,  he  strutted  about,  assuring  him  that  this  dis- 
graceful uproar  was  quite  uncalled  for,  and  finally 
putting  on  a  severe  look,  told  him  that  he  could  not 
have  anything  for  his  improvements ;  of  course  not, — 


HOVEL  WAY  OF  ENFORCING  PAYMENT.         277 

he  really  could  not  expect;  certainly  not,  &c.  Smith 
plainly  assured  the  agent  that  his  "blarney' '  would  avail 
him  nothing ;  he  had  come  by  their  own  appointment 
to  get  his  pay,  and  that  he  ceartainly  should  have — if 
not  in  the  way  they  themselves  agreed  upon,  he  would 
choose  his  own  method  of  getting  it !  Thus  saying, 
he  stepped  back,  threw  down  his  woolly  head,  and  goat 
fashion,  let  drive  into  the  fat  Englishman's  "bread 
basket!"  He  sprawled  about  and  soon  recovered 
his  standing,  but  continued  to  scream  and  halloo  with 
rage  and  mortification,  more  than  with  pain,  until  he 
had  brought  to  the  spot  landlord,  boarders,  and  ser- 
vants, to  witness  the  affray ;  but  Smith,  nothing  daunt- 
ed, administered  two  or  three  more  effectual  butts  with 
his  hard  head  into  the  lordly  agent,  when  the  sub- 
dued and  now  silent  English  gentleman,  drew  from 
his  pocket  book,  and  carefully  counted  out,  every 
dollar  Smith  had  at  first  demanded.  Smith  accepted 
it  pleasantly,  thanked  him  and  withdrew,  amid  the 
shouts  and  jeers  of  the  spectators,  which  the  agent 
was  more  willing  to  avoid  than  he.  That  was  the  way 
the  land  agent  paid  the  squatter. 

It  seemed,  however,  a  little  too  bad,  to  make  a  fine 
English  gentleman,  feel  as  "flat"  as  Longworth  ap- 
peared to  feel ;  yet  it  was  undoubtedly  the  only  method 
by  which  Smith  could  recover  a  farthing.  The  agents, 
it  was  supposed,  did  not  design  to  pay  for  any  im- 
provements ;     indeed,    some   very    hard   and   unjust 


278    THE  LAND  AGENT  AND  THE  SQUATTER. 

incidents  occurred  in  connection  with  that  matter, 
and  probably  Smith  was  about  the  only  one,  who 
ever  received  the  full  value  of  his  claim. 

There  was  committed  about  this  time,  a  most  shock- 
ing murder,  in  the  London  district.  A  farmer  who 
had  a  respectable  family,  consisting  of  a  wife  and 
several  children,  became  so  addicted  to  the  use  of 
spirituous  liquors,  that  he  neglected  both  his  family 
and  farm  so  much,  that  his  friends  felt  called  upon  to 
request  the  distiller,  who  was  his  near  neighbor,  to 
furnish  him  with  no  more  intoxicating  drink.  This, 
so  exasperated  the  poor,  ruined  and  besotted  wretch, 
that  he  raved  like  a  madman — such  as  he  undoubtedly 
was — crazed  and  infuriated,  by  the  contents  of  the 
poisoned  cup  of  liquid  damnation,  held  to  his  lips  by 
a  neighboring  distiller;  a  fellow-being,  who  for  the 
consideration  of  a  few  shillings,  could  see  his  neighbor 
made  a  brute  and  his  family  left  in  destitution  and 
sorrow.  Perhaps,  however,  he  did  not  anticipate  a 
termination  so  fearful ;  yet  that  is  but  a  poor  excuse 
for  one  who  lives  by  the  sale  of  rum.  When  a  rum- 
seller  gives  that  to  a  man,  which  he  knows  will  "  steal 
away  his  brains,"  and  make  him  a  maniac,  how  can  he 
anticipate  his  future  conduct?  And  who  is  respon- 
sible ?     Ah,  who  ? 

When  Severin  found  he  could  get  no  more  intox- 
icating beverage,  he  in  his  demoniacal  rage,  conceived 
the  idea  of  despatching  his  whole  family,  and  set 


FIENDISH  MURDERS.  279 

about  his  purpose  by  first  snatching  the  young  babe 
and  casting  it  into  the  fire !     When  the  poor  wife  and 
mother  came  shrieking  to  the  rescue  of  her  darling 
infant,  he  with  one  furious  blow,  laid  her  a  bleeding 
corpse  at  his  feet!      Two  other  young  children  he 
next  murdered,  and  left  them  mingling  their  blood 
with  that  of  their  mother's,  while  he  ran  furiously 
after  the  two  older  ones,  who  were  endeavoring  to 
escape  to  a  neighbor's  for  assistance ;  and  overtaking, 
killed  them  both !     When  the  miserable  wretch  had 
completed  his  hellish  design,  he  started  for  his  nearest 
neighbor,  named  Smith,  and  told  him  that  there  was  a 
black  and  a  white  man  at  his  house,  murdering  his 
family,  requesting  him  to  go  to  their  assistance.     Mrs. 
Smith,  believing  that  Severin  designed  to  murder  her 
husband,  insisted  on  his  calling  his  young  men  to 
assist  him,  which  he  did ;  and  on  arriving  at  the  scene 
of  slaughter,  a  most  horrid  spectacle  was  before  them : 
five  dead  bodies  weltering  in  blood,  aside  from  that  of 
the  innocent  babe,  whose  little  form  lay  roasted  and 
charred,  on  the  fatal  and  bloody  hearthstone  of  the 
drunkard!     Victims  all,  of  an  intoxicated   husband 
and  father !     When  the  guilty  man  saw  the  mangled 
remains  of  his  household,  he  only  increased  his  de- 
pravity by  trying  to  make  others  responsible  for  the 
wicked  deed, — exclaiming  in  feigned   anguish,  "my 
dear  wife !    my  poor  children !    I  was  afraid   they 
would  murder  you  !      Oh,   my  lost  family  !  "    &c. 


280    THE  LAND  AGENT  AND  THE  SQUATTER. 

Community  was  soon  alarmed;  Severin,  arrested, 
tried,  convicted,  and  sentenced  to  suffer  the  extreme 
penalty  of  the  law. 

It  is  sufficient  for  us  to  say,  that  the  evidence  was 
clear  and  conclusive,  that  he  was  the  only  murderer 
of  his  family;  nor  was  it  doubted  that  Mrs.  Smith's 
suspicion  was  correct;  yet,  with  all  the  array  of  posi- 
tive testimony  brought  against  him,  he  denied  the 
commission  of  the  crime  to  the  last  moment  of  his 
life !  When  brought  out  for  execution,  he  was  placed 
under  the  gallows,  and  the  rope  with  its  fatal  noose 
adjusted  around  his  neck,  when  one  of  the  attorneys 
arose,  and  with  great  solemnity,  addressed  him,  in  the 
most  impressive  manner :  "We  have  done,"  said  he, 
" all  in  our  power  to  save  your  life;  but  you  are  justly 
condemned,  and  in  a  few  minutes  more,  will  enter  the 
presence  of  the  All-seeing  eye  of  Jehovah ;  now  let 
me  beseech  you,  in  the  name  of  God,  to  tell  the  truth, 
before  you  die."  Severin  declared  himself  innocent 
of  the  crime,  for  which  he  was  about  to  suffer ;  but 
was  consoled,  he  said,  with  the  belief  that  he  should, 
in  a  few  short  moments,  meet  in  blissful  re-union  his 
dear,  murdered  wife  and  children  in  heaven,  to  part 
no  more !  Prayers  were  read ;  and  during  the  reading 
of  the  Lord's  prayer,  at  the  words  "  Thy  will  be  done," 
the  hardened  wretch  was  launched  into  eternity. 

No  room  was  left  to  doubt  the  fact,  that  Severin 
with  his  own  hand  destroyed  the  life  of  his  unhappy 


EXECUTION  OF  THE  MURDERER.       281 

and  abused  wife,  and  also  that  of  his  helpless  family. 
Yet  in  one  sense,  may  we  say  with  the  murderer,  it 
was  not  he  who  committed  the  awful  and  inhuman 
deed,  but  boldly  and  truthfully  charge  it  to  man's 
bitterest  foe — Rum  !  What  but  the  maddening  effects 
of  spirituous  liquors,  could  so  demoralize,  so  demonize 
a  man,  as  to  convert  the  once  loving  husband  and 
proud  father,  into  a  reckless  fiend,  a  heartless  savage  ? 
Oh,  Rum  !  earth  contains  not  another  so  fell  a  foe ! 

Should  any  who  may  read  these  humble  pages,  find 
an  effectual  warning  in  the  unhappy  end  of  Severin, 
one  which  shall  induce  them  to  pause  in  their  course, 
or  at  once  and  forever  abandon  the  use  of  alcoholic 
drinks,  I  shall  gratefully  feel  that  I  have  not  written 
this  incident  in  vain. 

Before  I  left  Wilberforee,  the  Rev.  S.  E.  Cornish, 
made  a  visit,  and  preached  the  Word  of  Life  to  the 
colony,  greatly  to  the  satisfaction  and  comfort  of  the 
settlers.  After  distributing  liberally  of  his  abundance, 
to  his  poor  brethren,  he  departed  for  the  States, 
attended  by  the  prayers  and  blessings  of  the  Wilber- 
force colonists. 


CHAPTEK     XXXIII. 


CHARACTEK  AND  DEATH  OF  I.   LEWIS. 

I  HA  YE  spoken  in  the  preceding  chapter,  of  a 
visit  from  the  Eev.  S.  E.  Cornish,  to  the  colony. 
He  had  previously  written  me,  concerning  the  object 
of  his  proposed  visit,  which  was  to  obtain  the  deposi- 
tions of  the  board  of  managers,  relative  to  all  the 
money  received  through  their  agents  for  the  colony. 
He  was  sent  to  Canada  then,  and  once  afterwards,  for 
and  at  the  expense  of  A.  Tappan,  on  business  pertain- 
ing to  the  law-suit;  instituted  by  I.  Lewis  against  that 
gentleman,  for  defamation  of  character.  The  depo- 
sitions taken  in  the  colony,  with  the  expense  of 
twice  sending  an  agent  to  Canada,  must  have  made  a 
round  sum  for  that  kind  gentleman  to  pay,  merely  for 
telling  a  truth  already  known  ! 

Mr.  Cornish  had  also  been  informed  of  my  intention 
to  leave  the  colony,  and  that  my  family  were  already 
gone.    He,  knowing  something  concerning  the  state  of 


DEATH  OP  ISRAEL  LEWia  283 

things,  urged  me  to  remain  at  least,  until  his  arrival, 
as  will  be  seen  by  a  reference  to  his  letter  in  the 
appendix. 

As  I  look  back  on  those  scenes  of  labor  and  trial,  I 
find  cause  for  deep  humiliation  and  gratitude  to  Grod, 
for  His  goodness  and  gracious  protection,  over  my 
frail  life,  through  unseen  dangers  of  various  kinds, 
and  for  his  continued  favors  and  unmerited  blessings. 
Many  of  my  fellow  men  have  fallen  in  death's  cold 
embrace  since  that  time,  while  my  health  and  life  has 
been  mercifully  preserved. 

Three  of  the  leading  characters  of  the  Wilberforce 
colony  are  now  dead.  Kev.  Benjamin  Paul,  lies  in 
the  silent  grave-yard  in  Wilberforce,  C.  "W.  His 
brother,  Eev.  Nathaniel  Paul,  also  sleeps  the  dreamless 
sleep  of  death,  and  his  dust  rests  in  the  beautiful 
cemetry  in  Albany,  K.  Y. 

Israel  Lewis  has  also  finished  his  earthly  career 
after  robbing  the  poor  of  their  just  dues,  and  per- 
secuting those  who  endeavored  to  defend  them ;  after 
living  in  extravagance — "faring  sumptuously  every 
day," — he  became  reduced  in  circumstances;  despised 
and  dishonored,  his  proud  spirit  was  at  last  broken. 
His  health  gave  way;  when  at  length,  unattended  and 
alone,  he  found  his  way  to  a  hospital  in  Montreal, 
where  he  soon  after  died,  leaving  not  enough  of  all 
his  gains  to  afford  him  a  decent  burial ! 

Oh,  what  a  reward  "for  all  his   labor  under  the 


284  CHARAOTEB  AND  DEATH  OF  I.   LEWIS. 

sun ! "  His  fame,  his  wealth,  and  his  law-suits,  all 
have  perished  with  his  memory.     Poor  man  ! 

Israel  Lewis  was  born  a  slave,  raised  on  a  Southern 
plantation,  and  subjected  to  all  the  cruelties  and  depri- 
vations of  a  bondman.  His  natural  abilities  were 
above  mediocrity,  but  having  never  had  the  advant- 
ages of  an  education,  or  the  privileges  of  a  society 
calculated  to  cultivate  and  refine  his  natural  aspiring 
intellect,  and  to  direct  his  indomitable  will  in  the 
acquirement  of  the  more  imperishable  graces  of  the 
human  heart,  he  had  come  to  manhood  with  a  deter- 
mined, selfish  disposition,  to  accomplish  whatever 
gratified  his  vanity  or  administered  to  the  wants  of 
his  animal  nature. 

And  may  we  not,  with  propriety  here  inquire, 
whether  our  common  Father,  who  has  declared  him- 
self to  be  "no  respecter  of  persons,"  has  endowed 
men  with  enlarged  capacities  for  the  attainment  of 
that  knowledge  and  wisdom,  so  requisite  to  the  eleva- 
tion of  character, — for  the  express  purpose  of  seeing 
them  made  beasts  of  burden,  and  their  superior  facul- 
ties prostituted  by  the  sensuality  imposed  by  Slavery, 
and  to  be  sold  as  chattels,  with  impunity  ?  I  tell  you, 
nay.  The  day  when  Almighty  God  will  avenge  the 
work  of  his  own  hands,  hasteth  greatly !  Were  it  not 
so,  we  might  rejoice  in  the  ignorance  of  the  poor 
slaves,  and  pray  that  none  of  them  may  ever  be 
endowed  with  a  superior  intellect  to  that  of  the  brutes 


HIS  NATURAL  SHREWDNESS.  285 

they  are  made  to  resemble.  Then  would  the  proud 
spirit  no  longer  chafe,  and  manhood  writhe  in  the 
unbroken  chain ;  but,  like  the  ox  to  the  yoke  or  the 
horse  to  the  harness,  they  might  submit,  without  a 
conscious  violation  of  their  dearest  and  God  given 
rights.     But  we  were  speaking  of  Israel  Lewis. 

A  natural  energy  and  strength  of  character,  he  had 
inherited ;  a  malicious,  selfish,  and  consequently  a  de- 
ceptive disposition,  his  life  as  a  slave  had  undoubtedly 
bestowed  upon  him.  Intellect  must  have  scope,  and 
when  nothing  is  left  within  its  grasp  but  vice,  can  we 
wonder  that  the  slave  possessing  the  most  talent, 
should  generally  prove  the  greatest  villain. 

Uneducated  as  was  Lewis,  his  quick  perception,  his 
ungoverned  passions,  and  his  native  independence,  not 
only  made  him  a  dangerous  slave,  but  an  unfaithful 
and  overbearing  companion.  He,  however,  took  a 
wife — a  slave  like  himself, — whose  devotedness  and 
good  sense,  oannot  be  made  manifest,  more  than  in 
her  willingness  to  leave  all  that  was  dear  to  her  on 
earth,  and  flee  from  their  birth-place,  she  knew  not 
whither ;  but  confiding  in  the  professed  love  and  pro- 
tection of  her  husband,  she  cheerfully  followed  him  to 
the  dense  forest,  in  search  of  that  freedom,  denied 
them  in  their  native  country, — submitting  herself 
gladly  to  all  the  hardships  and  fearful  anxieties  of  a 
fugitive  slave.  What  to  her  were  horsemen,  armed 
with  dirk  and  rifle !     What  though  the  trained  and 


286  CHARACTER  AND  DEATH  OF  I.   LEWIS. 

inhuman  blood-hound  bayed  upon  their  track !  "Was 
not  he  who  had  sworn  a  life-long  allegiance  to  her  by 
her  side  !  Should  he  be  killed  or  retaken,  what  could 
she  desire,  but  to  be  his  companion  still !  Slavery 
even,  bitter  as  was  the  cup,  might  contain  for  her  one 
siveet  drojp,  while  connubial  love  lighted  up  their  rude 
cabin,  and  sweetened  their  daily  toil;  but  the  ad- 
ditional anticipation  of  liberty,  to  their  domestic 
happiness — oh  blessed  hope !  How  it  quickened  their 
weary  footsteps,  and,  with  fixed  eyes  upon  the  star  of 
the  North,  they  pressed  forward  through  every  diffi- 
culty, until  they  finally  reached  Cincinnati,  0.  There 
they  lived  quietly,  and  with  others,  suffered  the 
terrors  of  the  mob,  where  also  he  was  chosen  agent, 
to  seek  a  more  safe  and  quiet  home  for  his  afflicted 
and  outcast  countrymen.  The  office  was  accepted, 
and  Lewis  became  the  founder  of  the  Wilberforce 
colony. 

The  personal  appearance  of  Israel  Ijpwis  was  pre- 
possessing; his  manner  and  address  easy  and  com- 
manding. To  those  unacquainted  with  his  private 
life,  his  ungoverned  passions,  and  his  unprincipled, 
revengeful  disposition,  he  could  appear  the  gentleman, 
the  philanthropist,  and  the  Christian. 

His  education  was  limited ;  yet  he  had  managed  to 
gather  a  sufficient  knowledge  of  the  sciences  to  enable 
him  to  read  and  write,  together  with  quite  a  fund  of 
general  information ;  and  then  his  shrewdness  and  tact 


ADDRESSES  THE  SENATE  AT  ALBANY.  287 

accomplished  all  the  rest.  To  strangers  lie  could 
appear  a  ripe  scholar,  if  left  unquestioned.  He  was  a 
good  speaker,  and  once  spake  with  eloquence  and 
marked  effect  before  the  Legislature,  assembled  in  the 
Senate  Chamber,  at  Albany,  N.  Y. 

Had  the  childhood  of  Mr.  Lewis  been  passed  under 
more  favorable  auspices ;  had  his  intellectual  faculties 
been  so  cultivated  as  to  predominate  over  his  animal 
propensities,  and  his  towering  aspirations  directed 
toward  the  accomplishment  of  acts,  lofty  in  their 
benevolence,  noble  in  their  sacrifice,  high  in  their 
honorable  purpose,  and  great  in  their  purity;  I  can 
but  believe  that  his  powerful  intellect  would  have 
achieved  the  fame  of  a  Lundy,  or  would  have  be- 
queathed to  his  brethren  a  memory  like  that  of  a 
Clarkson.  Instead,  we  have  found  him  devoting  his 
energies  to  the  gratification  of  his  avarice,  pride,  and 
ambition — characteristics  directly  opposed  to.  the  de- 
portment of  the  humble  Christian,  and  such  as  our 
Heavenly  Father  has  never  promised  to  prosper. 
How  truly  has  "the  wise  man"  said,  "He  that  is 
greedy  of  gain  troubleth  his  own  house ;  but  he  that 
hateth  gifts  shall  live."  How  strikingly  has  this 
passage  been  verified  in  the  course  of  Lewis !  For  a 
few  paltry  sums  of  gain,  could  he  consent,  not  alone  to 
rob  the  poor,  for  whom  it  was  kindly  given  as  unto 
the  Lord,  but  to  turn  scornfully  away  from  that  poor, 
illiterate,  and  humble  slave  wife,  whom  he  had,  in 


288  CHARACTER  AND   DEATH  OF   I.    LEWIS. 

their  mutual  adversity,  vowed  to  cherish  in  prosperity 
as  well  as  in  all  other  circumstances  through  life.  That 
wife,  who  had  borne  with  him  the  sorrows  of 
Slavery — the  humble  choice  of  a  bondman !  She, 
who  fled  with  him,  anticipating  additional  happiness 
in  a  life  of  freedom !  Poor  woman !  Disappointment 
is  of  an  earthly  growth,  yet  God  is  merciful ;  notwith- 
standing we  have  the  same  authority  as  above,  for 
saying  that  °  Every  one  that  is  proud  in  heart  is  an 
abomination  to  the  Lord:  though  hand  join  in  hand, 
he  shall  not  be  unpunished." 

In  the  hands  of  a  righteous  Judge  we  leave  him, 
who,  for  the  wealth  that  perisheth, — who,  for  worldly 
honor  and  selfish  gratification,  could  barter  his  honesty 
and  integrity,  as  "  Esau,  who  sold  his  birth-right  for  a 
mess  of  pottage." 

To  me  the  lesson  is  an  impressive  one,  and  I  am 
thinking  it  would  be  well  for  us  all  to  examine  the 
foundation  on  which  we  stand.  If  based  upon  the 
solid  and  broad  foundation  of  Christianity,  doing  to 
others  in  all  things  as  we  would  they  should  do  to  us, 
sacrificing  on  all  occasions  our  own  ease,  and  worldly 
honor,  for  the  benefit  of  our  fellow-men,  and  the  good 
of  our  country,  then  indeed,  we  need  fear  no  evil ;  if 
the  winds  of  adversity  howl  about  our  dwelling,  we 
shall  find  it  will  stand,  being  founded  on  a  rock. 
But  if  we  build  upon  "the  sands"  of  fame  or  self- 
aggrandizement,  and,  like  the  towering  oak.  lift  our 


CHRISTIANITY  THE  SUREST  FOUNDATION.       289 

insignificant  heads  in  proud  defiance  of  the  coming 
storm,  we  may  expect  that  our  superstruction  will 
fall !     "  And  great  will  be  the  fall  of  it !  " 


CHAPTER     XXXIY 


MY  EETUEN  TO   EOCHESTEE. 

HAYING-  closed  my  business  in  "Wilberforce,  I 
prepared  to  leave  on  the  expiration  of  my 
term  of  office  as  township  clerk,  which  was  now  near 
at  hand.  Notwithstanding,  I  ever  felt  a  sensation  of 
relief  and  pleasure,  when  I  thought  of  returning  to 
my  old  home  and  friends  in  the  States,  yet  as  often 
as  I  look  abroad  over  the  settlement  and  remember  all 
my  glowing  hopes, — all  my  delightful  anticipations  of 
a  prosperous  future  for  those  poor,  struggling  colonists ; 
when  I  recollected  with  what  zeal  and  honest  purpose, 
with  what  sincerity  and  sacrifice  I  had  prosecuted  my 
labor  among  them, — a  dark  shadow  of  disappointment 
would  flit  across  my  mind,  however  welcome  it  might 
be.  That  I  had  firm  and  tried  friends  in  the  colony, 
I  had  never  the  least  reason  to  doubt,  not  to  suppose 
their  number  less  after  a  five  years  residence  with 
them;   but  our  expectations  had  not  been  realized. 


RETURN  TO   ROCHESTER   PENNILESS.  291 

Our  hope  of  settling  a  township,  to  be  represented  in 
Parliament  by  one  of  our  own  people,  was  now  for- 
ever blasted.  I  remembered  too,  that  many  of  the 
colonists  had  been  unjustly  incited  against  my  course ; 
but  in  the  retrospect  my  heart  did  not  condemn 
me.  Errors  many,  no  doubt  I  had  committed ;  but  I 
was  grateful,  when  reviewing  the  whole  ground,  for  a 
conscience  void  of  offence  toward  God  and  man;  and 
I  finally  took  my  leave  of  all,  craving  the  choicest 
blessings  of  Heaven  to  rest  upon  that  infant  colony 
and  its  interests. 

On  the  nineteenth  day  of  January,  1837,  I  left 
Wilberforce,  passing  through  Brantford,  Hamilton, 
Queenston,  Lewiston,  and  from  thence  to  Rochester. 
During  my  journey,  I  could  not  avoid  feeling  sad  and 
despondent,  as  my  mind  incessantly  returned  to  the 
review  of  my  mission,  upon  which  I  could  look  with 
no  other  decision  than  that  of  an  entire  failure.  I  had 
spent  my  time,  wasted  my  substance  for  nought,  and 
was  now  returning  to  my  dependant  family,. — that, 
with  myself,  had  been  stripped  of  nearly  every 
means  of  comfort  and  support. 

What  would  my  Rochester  friends  think  of  my 
conduct  ?  Notwithstanding  all  my  despondency  and 
evil  foreboding  at  that  time,  I  am  now  well  satisfied 
that  my  labor  was  not  all  in  vain,  but  that  some  good 
did  result  from  it. 

As  I  drew  near  the  city,  a  gloom  like  thick  dark- 


292  MY   RETURN  TO   ROCHESTER. 

ness  overshadowed  me :  I  thought  of  the  unfavorable 
transactions  which  had  occurred  between  the  directors 
of  the  colony  and  my  friends  in  Rochester,  and  fell  to 
wondering  how  they  would  receive  me. 

On  the  twenty-third  of  January,  1837,  I  finally  re- 
entered the  city  penniless ;  but  as  I  soon  found,  not  so 
friendless  as  my  fears  would  have  it.  Among,  the 
first  to  welcome  me  back  to  my  old  home,  was  that 
friend  of  "blessed  memory,"  Everard  Peck,  who  had 
been  apprised  of  some  of  the  losses  I  had  met  and  the 
trials  I  had  passed  through.  This  gentleman  was  also 
one  of  the  first  to  propose  to  be  one  of  five  men,  who 
should  loan  me  one  hundred  dollars  each,  for  five 
years.  Through  the  disinterested  kindness  of  this 
worthy  gentleman,  I  was  in  a  few  days  after  my 
arrival,  well  established  in  a  store  of  provisions  and 
groceries.  The  five  kind  gentlemen,  to  whom  I  was 
so  deeply  indebted  for  the  loan,  were :  Everard  Peck, 
George  A.  Avery,  Samuel  D.  Porter,  Levi  W.  Sibley, 
and  Griffith,  Brother  &  Co. 

This  noble  act  of  generosity  and  kindness,  on  the 
part  of  my  friends,  to  furnish  me  with  the  means  to 
commence  business,  especially  when  their  prospect  was 
anything  but  flattering,  regarding  my  ever  being  able 
to  refund  their  well-timed  and  gracious  liberality, — 
affected  me  more  deeply  than  all  the  censure  and 
persecution  I  had  elsewhere  received.  Their  frown 
and  displeasure,  I  was  better  prepared  to  meet  than 


KINDLY  ASSISTED  BY  OLD  FRIENDS.  293 

this  considerate  act  of  Christian  sympathy,  which.  I  am 
not  ashamed  to  say  melted  me  to  tears,  and  I  resolved 
to  show  my  appreciation  of  their  kindness  by  an 
industry  and  diligence  in  business  hitherto  unsur- 
passed. 

E.  Bardwell,  then  a  merchant  on  Exchange.  Street, 
next  laid  me  under  a  lasting  obligation  by  offering  to 
sell  me  goods  on  credit;  others  proffered  assistance 
by  promising  their  continual  patronage,  which  was  to 
me  the  same  as  cash, — and  soon  the  store  I  had 
opened  on  Main  Street,  was  doing  an  extensive  busi- 
ness. My  profits  were  small  to  be  sure,  and  I  had  a 
heavy  rent  to  pay  for  my  store  and  dwelling,  yet  I 
was  making  a  comfortable  living  for  my  family,  and 
laying  by  something  to  reimburse  the  kind  friends 
who  had  helped  me  in  the  time  of  need,  when  I  found 
that  the  health  of  my  family  required  more  of  my 
time  and  assistance  than  ever  before.  My  oldest 
daughter,  who,  I  have  before  mentioned,  having  taken 
a  violent  cold  on  Lake  Erie,  was  now  confined  to  her 
bed.  All  that  could  be  done  to  save  the  life  of  a 
darling  child — our  first  born — was  done;  and  if  we 
sometimes  went  beyond  our  means,  it  was  a  satisfac- 
tion to  us  to  see  her  enjoy  some  of  the  comforts  of 
life  of  which  my  mission  to  Canada  had  deprived  her. 
One  physician  after  another  was  employed  to  stay  the 
approach  of  the  destroyer :  some  said  they  could  cure 
her,  if  paid  in  advance;  to  all  of  which  I  cheerfully 


294  MY  RETURN  TO   ROCHESTER. 

acceded,  but  only  to  see  our  beloved  sink  lower,  and 
patiently  pine  away. 

No  one  but  a  parent  who  has  watched  the  rapid 
decline  of  a  darling  child,  and  marked  with  a  bursting 
heart  the  approaching  footsteps  of  the  spoiler,  can 
imagine  how  powerless  we  felt  at  that  time.  The 
wealth  of  the  Indias,  had  we  possessed  it,  would  have 
been  freely  given,  although  it  would  have  been  un- 
availing, to  shield  that  loved  and  gentle  form  from 
pain,  and  we  were  obliged  to  look  hopelessly  on,  while 
our  little  patient,  suffering  daughter  sank  lower  and 
lower  every  day.  In  vain  were  our  parental  arms 
outstretched  for  her  protection ;  from  death  we  could 
not  save  her.  She  had  long  since  ceased  to  glide 
about  the  house,  and  soothe  with  her  silvery  tones  all 
the  childish  fears  of  the  little  ones.  Helpless  she  now 
lay,  burning  with  fever,  and  wasting  from  our  sight, 
"till  soft  as  the  dew  on  the  twilight  descending," 
the  cold  'damps  of  death  gathered  on  her  youthful 
brow.  One  pleasant  morning  after  passing  a  restless 
night,  I  observed  her  to  gaze  earnestly  upward,  and  a 
moment   after   I  called  her  name  but  received  no 


answer. 


"  Her  languishing  head  was  at  rest ; 
Its  thinkings  and  achings  "were  o'er ; 
Her  quiet,  immoveable  breast, 

Was  heaved  by  affliction  no  more." 

On  the  fifteenth  day  of  April,  1837,  she  sweetly  fell 


PROSPERITY   IN   BUSINESS.  295 

asleep,  aged  eleven  years.  Sorrowfully  we  followed 
her  remains  to  Mount  Hope,  where  we  laid  her  down 
to  rest  until  the  resurrection  morning.  Death  had 
now  made  its  first  inroad  in  our  family  circle,  and 
since  then  we  have  laid  two  other  loved  ones  by  her 
side.     We  sorrowed,  but  not  without  hope. 

My  business  continued  to  prosper,  and  I  concluded 
to  buy  a  small  variety  store,  containing  some  three  or 
four  hundred  dollars  worth  of  goods  on  the  corner  of 
Main  and  North  Streets,  formerly  owned  by  Mr. 
Snow,  but,  having  two  stores  on  my  hands,  I  did  not 
make  much  by  the  trade. 

The  first  summer  after  I  returned  to  Rochester,  the 
friends  of  temperance  made  a  fine  celebration,  and 
gave  me  the  privilege  of  providing  the  dinner. 

I  considered  it  not  only  a  privilege,  but  an  honor, 
and  felt  very  grateful  to  the  committee  who  conferred 
the  favor  upon  me. 

The  celebration  came  off  on  the  Fourth  of  July,  and 
was  indeed  a  splendid  affair.  The  multitude  were 
addressed  on  the  public  square,  by  some  of  the  best 
speakers  in  the  country.  I  laid  in  a  large  quantity  of 
provisions  of  every  available  kind,  built  a  bower, 
hired  waiters,  and  prepared  seats  for  five  hundred  to 
dine;  but  when  the  oration  was  over,  and  the  multi- 
tude came  to  the  table,  I  found  that  as  many  more 
seats  were  wanted.  We,  however,  accommodated  as 
many  as  we  could,  at  one  dollar  each,  and  all  passed 
off  well,  to  the  great  satisfaction  of  all  concerned. 


296  MY  RETURN  TO   ROCHESTER. 

When  all  was  over,  and  the  friends  learned  that  I 
had  on  hand  a  large  amount  of  cooked  provision,  they 
continued  their  kindness  by  purchasing  it,  thus  pre- 
venting any  loss  on  my  part. 

My  store  on  the  corner  of  Main  and  North  Streets, 
was  at  the  head  of  the  market,  and  I  was  enabled  to 
supply  both  of  my  stores  with  country  produce  on 
the  best  possible  terms.  I  kept  two  clerks  at  each 
store,  and  all  seemed  prosperous  for  a  time,  when  from 
some  cause,  which  I  could  never  understand,  my 
business  began  to  fail.  My  family  had  ever  lived 
prudently,  and  I  knew  that  was  not  the  cause.  I 
thought  to  better  my  circumstances  by  taking  a  store 
in  the  Eochester  House,  but  that  proved  to  be  a  bad 
stand  for  my  business,  and  after  one  year,  I  removed 
to  Buffalo  Street,  opposite  the  Court  House.  I  ought 
to  say,  that  as  soon  as  I  found  that  my  income  was 
getting  less  than  my  expenses,  I  went  to  the  gentle- 
men who  had  loaned  me  the  five  hundred  dollars,  and 
showed  them  the  true  state  of  my  affairs,  and  they 
kindly  agreed  to  take  fifty  per  cent.,  which  I  paid 
them. 

After  locating  on  Buffalo  Street,  I  took  in  a  partner, 
named  John  Lee,  a  young  man,  active  and  industrious, 
who  paid  into  the  firm  three  hundred  dollars,  with 
which  we  bought  goods.  With  what  I  had  on  hand, 
this  raised  the  joint  stock  to  about  a  thousand  dollars, 
which  we  were   making  frequent   additions,  and  on 


MY  GOODS  DESTROYED    BY  FIRE.  297 

which  we  had  an  insurance  of  six  hundred  dollars. 
Our  business  was  now  more  prosperous  than  at  any 
previous  time,  and  we  began  to  look  up  with  hope 
and  confidence  in  our  final  success.  One  night  I 
returned  to  my  home  as  usual,  leaving  Lee  in  the 
store.  About  twelve  o'clock,  Mr.  Morris  awoke  me 
with  a  few  loud  raps,  and  the  announcement  that 
my  store  was  on  fire  and  a  part  of  my  goods  in  the 
street!  I  hastened  to  the  place,  where  I  found,  as  lie 
had  said,  what  was  saved  from  the  fire  piled  up  in  the 
street  and  the  fire  extinguished.  The  building  was 
greatly  damaged  and  the  goods  they  rescued  were 
nearly  ruined.  Now  we  were  thrown  out  of  busi- 
ness, and  the  firm  was  dissolved.  With  the  assistance 
of  W.  S.  Bishop,  a  lawyer,  we  made  out  the  amount 
of  damage,  which  was  readily  paid  by  the  agent  for 
the  insurance  company. 

When  the  Fourth  of  July  came  round  again,  the 
temperance  men  resolved  on  having  another  demon- 
stration, and  as  before,  I  was  requested  to  supply  the 
dinner,  which  I  did,  after  the  same  manner  as  the  year 
previous. 

Having  been  thrown  out  of  business  by  the  fire,  I 
began  to  examine  my  pecuniary  matters,  and  found 
that  I  was  some  three  or  four  hundred  dollars  in  debt, 
which  I.  had  no  means  of  paying.  True,  I  had  met 
with  a  great  misfortune,  but  I  felt  that  to  be  an  honest 
man  I  must  meet  all  obligations,  whether  legally 
1ST* 


298  MY  RETURN  TO  EOCHESTEE. 

bound  to  do  so  or  not ;  yet  it  was  beyond  my  power  at 
that  time,  and  I  finally  concluded  to  leave  the  city, 
and  try  to  better  my  condition  by  some  other  business, 
or  at  least  to  clear  myself  from  debt. 


CHAP  TEE    XXXV 


BISHOP  BROWN — DEATH  OF  MY  DAUGHTER. 

IKEMOYED  with  my  family  to  the  village  of 
Canandaigua,  where  I  commenced  teaching  a 
school  for  colored  children,  assisted  by  my  daughter. 
The  school  was  sustained  partly  by  the  liberality  of 
the  citizens  of  the  village,  and  partly  by  donations 
from  abroad.  It  was  continued  two  years,  and  the 
children  made  rapid  progress  while  they  were  under 
our  tuition. 

Soon  after  I  left  Eochester,  I  visited  New  York  city, 
and  while  there,  I  joined  "The  African  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Conference."  Bishop  Brown,  of  Philadelphia, 
presided  over  the  deliberations  of  that  body,  and 
appeared  to  be  a  man  of  deep  piety,  as  well  as  apt  in 
business,  and  was  a  native  of  one  of  the  Carolinas. 
I  found  a  pleasing  acquaintance  also,  with  Bishop 
"Walters  of  Baltimore,  Md.  He  was  small  in  stature ; 
but  a  powerful  speaker,  and  discharged  every  duty 


300  BISHOP  BROWN. 

with  "an  eye  single  to  the  glory  of  God."  He  has 
now  gone  to  give  an  account  of  his  stewardship,  and 
I  pray  that  "his  mantle  may  fall"  npon  one  as 
capable  of  leading  our  people  as  he.  The  conference 
consisted  of  some  sixty  or  seventy  ministers  of  the 
gospel,  with  these  two  Bishops  at  their  head.  The 
conference  continued  its  session  ten  days.  When  it 
was  closed,  Bishop  Brown,  with  several  others,  started 
on  a  visit  to  the  West.  They  called  at  Eochester,  and 
then  passed  over  to  Canada,  where  a  conference  was 
to  be  holden.  We  arrived,  after  a  pleasant  journey, 
at  Hamilton,  where  the  English  government  have  a 
regiment  of  black  soldiers  stationed.  It  was  common, 
in  passing  through  the  streets  of  Hamilton,  to  meet 
every  few  rods,  a  colored  man  in  uniform,  with  a 
sword  at  his  side,  marching  about  in  all  the  military 
pomp  allowed  only  to  white  men  in  this  free  republic. 

All  being  in  readiness,  Bishop  Brown  opened  the 
conference  under  the  authority  of  Her  Brittanic 
Majesty,  with  great  solemnity,  which  seemed  to  be 
felt  by  the  whole  assembly.  This  meeting  appeared 
to  me  far  more  interesting  than  the  one  we  had 
attended  in  New  York  city.  The  colored  people 
were  much  more  numerous  in  Hamilton,  and  in  far 
better  circumstances  than  in  New  York.  It  is  a  hard 
case  to  be  poor  in  any  large  city,  but  to  be  both  poor 
and  black,  as  was  the  condition  of  the  majority  of  our 
friends  in  New  York,  was  indeed  a  terrible  calamity 


CONFERENCE  OPENED  IN  HAMILTON,  C.  W.      301 


Every  class,  no  matter  how  worthless  they  might  be, 
would  be  allowed  to  rent  a  house  in  preference  to  a 
colored  man.  The  consequence  was,  our  people  were 
crowded  back  into  the  most  unhealthy  alleys,  in  old 
dilapidated  tenements  unfit  for  human  beings  to  dwell 
in,  and  such  as  could  not  be  disposed  of  to  any  other 
class  of  people.  I  am  happy  to  say,  however,  that  a 
favorable  change  has  taken  place  in  New  York,  since 
the  time  of  which  I  am  speaking.  Capitalists  have 
noted  the  good  reputation  of  the  colored  people  as 
tenants,  and  have  of  late  erected  good  dwellings  for 
their  accommodation.  In  Hamilton  there  was  none 
of  that  wretchedness  and  squalid  poverty,  nor  any  of 
that  drunken  rowdyism  so  common  in  Eastern  cities, 
perceivable  among  the  colored  people. 

Our  conference  was  largely  attended  by  all  classes, 
both  black  and  white, — many  of  the  latter  invited  the 
Bishop  with  his  associates  to  their  dwellings  to  dine, 
indeed  we  seldom  took  a  meal  at  our  lodgings,  so  con- 
stantly were  we  solicited  by  friends  to  accompany 
them  home. 

We  also  found  many  fugitive  slaves  in  that  city, 
many  of  whom  were  intelligent  mechanics.  Some  of 
them  took  us  about  the  place,  showing  us  the  different 
buildings  they  were  engaged  in  erecting;  quite  a 
number  were  employed  in  building  a  church  which 
appeared  to  be  done  in  a  workman-like  manner. 

In  the  meantime  our  meeting  was  progressing  in  a 


302  BISHOP   BROWN. 

very  interesting  manner,  and  when  the  closing  services 
were  commenced,  the  house  was  rilled  to  overflowing ; 
still  many  could  not  be  accommodated.  The  preach- 
ing was  solemn  and  impressive,  and  it  really  seemed 
to  me  that  the  glory  of  Grod  filled  the  house  in  which 
we  worshipped ;  saints  rejoiced  and  shouted  "  glory  to 
God,  in  the  highest,"  while  sinners  trembled  and  cried 
out,  "what  must  we  do  to  be  saved  from  the  wrath  to 
come."  There  were  several  hopeful  conversions 
during  the  session  of  conference;  and  after  its  close 
we  spent  one  day  in  making  social  calls,  and  viewing 
the  city  and  its  surroundings. 

Burlington  Bay  makes  an  excellent  harbor  for  ship- 
ping, while  Burlington  Heights  loom  up  on  the  north 
in  all  their  wild  and  terrific  grandeur.  Near  the  bay 
resides  Mr.  McNab,  so  notorious  in  the  history  of  the 
Canadian  revolution.  We  went  in  a  large  company 
to  look  at  his  beautiful  grounds  and  residence,  over 
which  we  were  politely  conducted  by  his  amiable 
lady.  It  was  indeed  a  lordly  mansion,  with  its  sur- 
roundings laid  out  in  the  English  style  of  princely 
magnificence. 

On  our  return  to  the  city  at  evening,  we  were 
invited  to  attend  a  grand  soiree,  got  up  in  honor  of 
the  Bishop's  first  visit  to  that  place.  Several  families 
of  colored  people  combined  to  provide  the  splendid 
entertainment,  while  one  lady  presided  at  the  board. 
She  was  very  beautiful  and  very  dark ;  but  a  complete 


ATTEND   A   GBAND   SOIKEE.  303 

model  of  grace  and  elegance,  conversing  with  perfect 
ease  and  intelligence  with,  all,  both  black  and  white 
ministers,  who  surrounded  the  festive  board,  as  well 
as  our  Irish  friends,  not  a  few  of  whom  were  present. 
One  honest  son  of  the  Emerald  Isle  entered,  and  not 
understanding  the  matter,  inquired  of  his  brother 
"Pat,"  in  rather  a  loud  whisper,  "What's  all  them 
nagurs  setting  to  that  table  for?  "  He,  however,  soon 
satisfied  himself,  and  all  passed  off  quietly  and  in 
excellent  order.  At  a  late  hour  the  company,  after  a 
benediction,  withdrew  and  dispersed. 

"We  left  Hamilton  the  following  morning,  feeling 
grateful  and  pleased  with  our  meeting  and  visit. 

It  was  a  beautiful  morning;  the  lake  was  still,  no 
sound  was  heard  but  the  rushing  waves,  as  our  boat 
moved  on  through  its  placid  waters,  toward  our 
destination,  then  called  Fort  George,  now  Niagara, 
where  we  took  stage  for  the  Falls. 

At  that  place  of  resort,  we  stopped  to  view  the 
stupendous  work  of  Almighty  Grod,  and  listen  to  the 
ceaseless  thundering  of  the  cataract.  How  tame  ap- 
pear the  works  of  art,  and  how  insignificant  the 
bearing  of  proud,  puny  man,  compared  with  the  awful 
grandeur  of  that  natural  curiosity.  Yet  there,  the 
rich  from  all  parts  of  the  world,  do '  congregate ! 
There  you  will  find  the  idle,  swaggering  slaveholder, 
blustering  about  in  lordly  style;  boasting  of  his 
wealth ;  betting  and  gambling ;  ready  to  fight,  if  his 


804:  BISHOP  BROWN. 

slightest  wish  is  not  granted,  and  lavishing  his  cash 
on  all  who  have  the  least  claim  upon  him.  Ah,  well 
can  he  afford  to  be  liberal, — -well  can  he  afford  to 
spend  thousands  yearly  at  our  Northern  watering 
places;  he  has  plenty  of  human  chattels  at  home, 
toiling  year  after  year  for  his  benefit.  The  little  hoe- 
cake  he  gives  them,  takes  but  a  mill  of  the  wealth 
with  which  they  fill  his  purse;  and  should  his 
extravagance  lighten  it  somewhat,  he  has  only  to 
order  his  brutal  overseer  to  sell — soul  and  body — 
some  poor  creature ;  perchance  a  husband,  or  a  wife, 
or  a  child,  and  forward  to  him  the  proceeds  of  the 
sale.  "While  the  wretched  slave  marches  South  with 
a  gang,  under  the  lash,  he  lavishes  his  funds  in 
extravagant  living, — funds  gathered  from  the  tears 
and  blood  of  a  helpless  human  being.  Have  you, 
dear  reader,  ever  watched  the  slaveholder  at  such 
places  as  I  have,  gliding  through  the  shady  groves, 
or  riding  in  his  splendid  carriage,  dressed  in  the 
richest  attire,  and  with  no  wish  ungratifled  that  gold 
can  purchase;  and  have  you  ever  been  guilty  of 
envying  him,  or  of  wishing  yourself  in  his  condition? 
If  so,  think  of  the  curse  which  rests  on  him  who 
grinds  the  face  of  the  poor.  Think  of  his  doom  in 
the  day  of  final  retribution,  when  he  shall  receive  at 
the  bar  of  a  righteous  Judge,  "  according  to  the  deeds 
done  in  the  body, "  and  not  according  to  his  wealth 
and  power.     Think  you,  that  the  prayers,  cries,  and 


JEWISH   "CITY  OF  KEFUGE."  305 

pleadings  of  the  down-trodden  slave  that  for  years 
have  been  ascending  to  the  throne  of  a  just  God,  will 
never  be  avenged?  Yea,  verily,  the  day  of  reckon- 
ing hastens  on  apace,  and  though,  "He  bear  long 
with  them;  He  will  surely  avenge  them  of  their  ad- 
versaries; and  that  speedily  !  " 

As  we  pursued  our  journey  to  Buffalo,  we  passed 
Grand  Island,  from  whence  Mordecai  Emanuel  Noah, 
some  years  ago  issued  a  proclamation,  calling  on  the 
Jews  to  come  and  build  on  that  island  the  "  City  of 
Refuge,"  but  which  I  believe  was  not  responded  to, 
as  I  saw  it  remained  in  its  native  wildness.  He  had 
also  a  monument  erected  there  at  the  time,  which 
might  be  seen  from  the  highway  and  canal,  consisting 
of  a  white  marble  slab,  six  feet  in  height,  with  a  suit- 
able inscription  upon  it,  to  direct  the  poor  Jew  to  the 
City  of  Refuge. 

It  was  quite  conspicuous,  but  not  so  magnificent  as 
Gen.  Brock's  at  Queenston  Heights. 

Arrived  at  Buffalo,  we  held  several  meetings  which 
were  very  interesting.  The  colored  people  were  then 
numerous  in  that  city,  and  owned  one.  of  the  largest 
churches  in  Western  New  York.  We  found  a  large 
and  prosperous  society  under  the  superintendence  of 
Elder  Weir,  who  was  a  good  and  talented  man,  setting 
a  godly  example  for  his  flock  to  imitate.  At  Buffalo  I 
parted  with  my  pleasant  and  instructive  traveling 
companion,  Bishop  Brown,  never  to  meet  again  on  the 


306  DEATH  OF  MY  DAUGHTER. 

shores  of  time.  Soon  after  that  pleasant  journey  lie 
died,  and  passed  from  his  labor  to  reward. 

Buffalo  was  then,  as  now  a  great  place  for  business. 
Yessels  from  all  parts  of  the  country  crowded,  the 
docks,  and  I  then  thought  that  it  must  in  time  become 
one  of  the  largest  cities  in  the  Union.  After  a  plea- 
sant visit  with  our  people  there,  I  returned  to  my 
home  in  Canandaigua,  where  I  now  began  to  feel 
quite  settled. 

I  had  been  requested  to  act  as  agent  for  the  "Anti- 
Slavery  Standard,"  with  which  I  complied,  and 
leaving  my  daughter  to  teach  the  school,  I  spent  the 
most  of  my  time  in  traveling  through  the  country  to 
advance  the  interests  of  that  paper. 

When  I  returned  from  Buffalo,  she  was  complain- 
ing of  poor  health,  nor  was  it  long  before  we  saw 
that  she  was  rapidly  declining. 

This  beloved  daughter,  I  had  spared .  no  pains  nor 
money  to  educate  and  qualify  for  teaching.  I  had 
encountered  all  the  trials  and  difficulties  that  every 
colored  man  meets,  in  his  exertions  to  educate  his 
family.  I  had  experienced  enough  to  make  me  fear 
that  I  should  not  always  be  able  to  get  my  children 
into  good  schools,  and  therefore  determined  at  what- 
ever cost,  to  educate  this  child  thoroughly,  that  she 
might  be  able,  not  only  to  provide  for  her  own  wants, 
but  to  teach  her  younger  brothers  and  sisters,  should 
they  be  deprived  of  the  advantages  of  a  good  school. 


HEART-RENDING  BEREAVEMENT.  307 

Well  had  she  rewarded  my  labor;  well  had  she 
realized  all  my  fondest  hopes  and  expectations, — but 
alas  !  for  human  foresight  and  worldly  wisdom !  The 
accomplishments  and  qualifications  of  a  teacher  were 
attained;  and  proudly  we  looked  for  the  achieve- 
ment of  our  long-contemplated  design.  How  hard  to 
believe  that  the  fell  destroyer  was  upon  her  track! 
Her  education  had  qualified  her  for  teaching  the 
sciences ;  but  now  I  saw,  that  her  faith  in  the  religion 
of  the  blessed  Christ,  was  assisting  her  to  teach  her 
own  heart  a  lesson  of  patience,  and  quiet  submission 
to  the  will  of  Him  who  holds  the  issues  of  life, — and 
Oh,  how  difficult  for  us  to  learn  the  solomn  lesson, 
that  her  wasting  form,  her  gradual  sinking  away,  was 
hourly  setting  before  us. 

Slowly  her  strength  failed;  she,  however,  saw  our 
sorrowful  anxiety,  and  would  try  to  relieve  it  with  a 
cheerful  appearance.  One  day  perhaps  she  would  be 
able  to  walk  about,  which  would  revive  our  wavering 
hope;  the  next  she  was  prostrate  and  suffering;  then 
hope  died  and  we  were  sad !  All  the  spring  time  she 
languished;  the  summer  came,  the  roses  bloomed,  and 
the  grain  began  to  ripen,  but  she  was  wasting  away. 
The  orchard  yielded  its  golden  harvest;  the  birds 
sang  merrily  on  the  trees,  but  a  dark  shadow  had 
fallen  on  our  hearthstone,  and  a  gloom,  like  the  pall  of 
death,  rested  on  our  household.  Her  place  at  table 
was  already  vacant;   no  longer  she  called  the  little 


308  DEATH  OF   MY  DAUGHTER. 

ones  about  her  to  hear  them  repeat  their  tasks, — all 
of  which  admonished  us,  that  soon  the  bed  where  we 
could  now  see  her,  would  be  vacated ;  and  we  should 
no  longer  witness  her  patient  smile,  and  know  that 
she  was  still  with  us.  The  pastor  of  the  Baptist 
church  often  called  to  pray  with,  and  for,  the  quiet 
sufferer,  which  she  appreciated  very  highly,  for  she 
was  a  Christian  in  every  sense  of  the  word. 

On  the  thirtieth  day  of  August,  at  about  eleven 
o'clock,  A.  M.,  without  a  struggle  or  a  groan,  her 
spirit  returned  to  God  who  gave  it.  "Sweetly  as 
babes  sleep,"  she  sank  into  the  embrace  of  death. 
Happily,  triumphantly,  had  she  seen  the  grim  mes- 
senger approach ;  but  she  knew  whom  she  had  be- 
lieved,  and  that  He  was  able  to  keep  that  which 
she  had  committed  to  Him,  unto  the  resurrection  of 
the  just. 

She  had  previously  made  a  confession  of  her  faith 
in  Christ,  and  had  been  buried  with  Him  in  baptism. 
A  few  days  after  her  demise,  a  long,  sad  train  wound 
its  way  to  the  village  church  yard,  where  we  de- 
posited the  remains  of  our  beloved, — Patience  Jane 
Steward,  in  the  eighteenth  year  of  her  age ;  and  then 
returned  to  our  desolate  house,  to  realize  that  she  had 
left  a  world  of  pain  and  sorrow,  where  the  fairest  rose 
conceals  a  thorn,  the  sweetest  cup  a  bitter  drop,  for  a 
home  where  the  flowers  would  never  fade,  and  where 
pain,  sorrow  and  death  will  never  come.     We  all  felt 


THE  PEACEFUL  DEATH-BED  CONTRASTED.       309 

the  solemn  and  impressive  warning,  "Be  ye  also 
ready,  for  in  such  an  hour  as  ye  think  not,  the  Son  of 
Man  cometh." 

As  often  as  I  recalled  her  triumphant,  peaceful 
death,  her  firm  reliance  on  God,  and  sweet  submission 
to  His  will,  I  could  not  forbear  contrasting  her  de- 
parture with  that  of  Mrs.  Helm,  whose  death  I  have 
elsewhere  described ;  and  could  fervently  pray,  that  I 
might  live  the  life  of  the  righteous,  that  my  last  end 
might  be  like  hers. 


Behold  the  Western  evening  light, 

It  melts  in  deep'ning  gloom ; 
So  calmly  Christians  sink  away, 

Descending  to  the  tomb. 

The  winds  breathe  low,  the  withering  leaf 
Scarce  whispers  from  the  tree, — 

So  gently  flows  the  parting  breath, 
When  good  folks  cease  to  be. 

How  beautiful  on  all  the  hills, 

The  crimson  light  is  shed  ; 
'Tis  like  the  peace  the  Christian  gives, 

To  mourners  round  his  bed. 

How  mildly  on  the  wandering  cloud, 

The  sunset  beam  is  cast, — 
'Tis  like  the  mem'ry  left  behind, 

When  loved  ones  breathe  their  last. 


310  DEATH  OF  MY  DAUGHTEK. 

And  now  above  the  dews  of  night, 
The  yellow  star  appears ; 

So  faith  springs  in  the  breast  of  those, 
Whose  eyes  are  bathed  in  tears. 

But  soon  the  morning's  happier  light, 
Its  glory  shall  restore  ; 

And  eyelids  that  are  sealed  in  death, 
Shall  wake  to  close  no  more." 


CHAPTEE     XXXYI 


CELEBRATION  OF  THE  FIRST  OF  AUGUST. 

THE  anti-slavery  friends  in  Canandaigua,  had  re- 
solved to  celebrate  the  anniversary  of  the  West 
India  emancipation,  in  suitable  manner  in  that  village, 
for  which  funds  had  been  unsparingly  collected,  to 
defray  the  expenses  of  the  coming  demonstration. 
The  first  of  August,  1847,  fell  on  Sunday,  and  our 
people  concluded  to  devote  that  day  to  religious  meet- 
ings, and  the  second  to  their  proposed  celebration. 

Frederick  Douglass  and  Mr.  Van  Loon,  from  Pough- 
keepsie,  addressed  the  people  on  the  Sabbath;  and 
also,  on  the  same  evening,  a  large  concourse  at  the 
Court  House.  The  day  following,  there  were  not  less 
than  ten  thousand  people  assembled  on  the  beautiful 
grounds,  belonging  to  the  village  Academy — attentive 
listeners  all  to  the  eloquent  speeches  delivered,  and 
interested  spectators  of  the  imposing  exercises. 


812       CELEBRATION   OF   THE   FIRST   OF   AUGUST. 

When  the  vast  multitude  had  convened,  the  exer- 
cises were  commenced  by  the  Eev.  S.  E.  "Ward,  who 
addressed  the  throne  of  grace,  after  which,  Mr.  Fred- 
erick Douglass  delivered  an  oration,  in  a  style  of 
eloquence  which  only  Mr.  Douglass  himself  can  equal, 
followed  by  a  song  from  the  Geneva  choir,  and  music 
by  Barring's  band.  Eev.  H.  H.  Garnet,  editor  of 
"The  National  Watchman,"  next  spake,  and  with 
marked  effect,  followed  by  Messrs.  Ward  and  Doug 
lass ;  after  which,  the  assemblage  formed  a  procession, 
and  marching  to  the  Canandaigua  Hotel,  partook  of  a 
sumptuous  dinner,  provided  by  the  proprietor  of  that 
house.  At  six  P.  M.,  they  again  assembled  on  the 
square,  and  were  most  eloquently  addressed  by  both 
Ward  and  Garnet ;  at  the  close,  they  repaired  to  the 
ladies'  fair,  where  they  found  everything  in  a  con- 
dition which  spake  well  for  the  enterprise  and  indus- 
try of  our  colored  sisters.  Their  articles  for  sale, 
were  of  a  choice  and  considerate  selection,  and  such 
as  sold  rapidly  and  at  fair  prices.  When  all  was 
pleasantly  over,  the  ladies  contributed  twenty  dollars 
toward  paying  the  speakers  present. 

A  most  beautiful  ode  was  composed  by  a  warm  and 
generous  friend  of  the  cause,  which  was  sung  in  the 
grove,  in  a  spirit  which  produced  a  thrilling  interest 
Gladly  would  I  give  the  reader  the  whole  composi- 
tion, but  its  length   makes  it  objectionable  for  this 


MESSES.   DOUGLASS,  WAED  AND  GARNET,       313 

place,  but  should  they  happen  to  hear  a  soul-stirring 
and  sublime  ode,  commencing  with, 

**  Hail !  to  this  day  returning  ; 
Let  all  to  Heaven  aspire,"  <fcc, 

they  may  know  it  is  the  one  to  which  I  refer. 

It  was  indeed,  a  glorious  day  for  the  colored  popu- 
lation generally;  and  many  were  the  indications  of  a 
diminution  of  that  prejudice  so  prevalent  everywhere. 
Some,  who  had  supposed  the  colored  man  so  inferior 
to  themselves  as  to  be  incapable  of  making  an  inter- 
esting speech,  were  convinced  of  their  error,  after 
hearing  Messrs.  Douglass,  "Ward  and  Garnet.  Mr.  Van 
Loon  was  a  white  clergyman,  but  a  brother  indeed ; 
his  soul  illumined  by  the  pure  light  of  the  gospel  of 
peace ;  his  heart  full  of  sympathy  for  the  oppressed ; 
his  tongue  pleading  eloquently  for  equal  rights ;  and 
his  hands  busily  engaged  in  breaking  every  yoke, 
resting  on  the  necks  of  poor  humanity.  So  vigor- 
ously, so  zealously  did  he  unfold  the  horrors  of  the 
slave  system;  so  truthfully  and  faithfully  did  he 
expose  the  treachery  of  northern  politicians,  and  so 
pathetically  did  he  appeal  to  the  humanity  of  every 
professed  Christian  to  speak  out  boldly  for  the  dumb ; 
to  shield,  by  the  holy  principles  of  their  religion,  the 
poor,  bound,  illiterate  slave,  from  Southern  cruelty 
and  bondage, — that  some  of  our  aristocratic  citizens, 
some  of  our  white  savans,  repaid  his  truthful  elo- 
O 


314       CELEBBATION  OF  THE.  FIEST  OF  AUGUST. 

quence,  by  Visiting  upon  him  the  bitterest  male- 
dictions. From  the  negro,  said  they,  we  will 
accept  these  statements  as  true, — from  him,  they  are 
pertinent  and  forcible;  but  when  such  unpalatable 
truths  are  uttered  by  a  white  clergyman,  we  cannot 
abide,  nor  will  we  listen  to  them  I 

Let  consistency  blush,  and  justice  hang  down  ita 
head !  Is  not  truth  the  same,  whether  proclaimed  by 
black  or  white, — bond  or  free  ?  Is  a  falsehood  to  be 
pardoned  because  uttered  by  a  negro  ?  If  indeed,  as 
was  admitted,  the  sentiments  expressed  by  our  elo- 
quent colored  speakers,  were  true,  could  they  be  false, 
when  enforced  by  our  intellectual  friend,  Yan  Loon  ? 
Certainly  not;  nor  would  the  case  have  been  so 
decided  by  these  Solons,  in  any  other  case :  or  where 
the  prejudice  against  color  had  not  warped  and 
blinded  their  otherwise  good  judgments.  Our  speak- 
er, however,  performed  his  duty  faithfully,  and  with 
great  satisfaction  to  the  colored  people  and  their  true 
friends  present. 

The  remains  of  this  fearless  champion  of  liberty ; 
this  humble  disciple  of  the  despised  Nazarene,  now 
sleeps  in  death,  beside  the  placid  waters  of  the 
Hudson,  while  his  cherished  memory  lives  in  the 
affections  of  thousands,  who  uare  ready  to  perish," 
and  is  honored  by  the  pure  in  heart,  wherever  his 
name  has  been  known  throughout  the  land.  In  the 
day  of   final  reckoning,  think  you,  he   will  regret 


TRIBUTE   TO   THE   LAMENTED   VAN   LOON.        315 

having  plead  the  cause  of  the  bondman?  Ah,  no; 
nor  can  we  doubt  that  to  him  will  be  rendered  the 
welcome  plaudits  :  "  Well  done,  good  and  faithful 
servant;  enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord.  Thou 
hast  been  faithful  over  a  few  things ;  I  will  make  thee 
a  ruler  over  many  things."  What  then  are  the  few 
light  afflictions  endured  in  this  life,  when  compared 
with  "an  eternal  weight  of  glory,"  awarded  to  the 
faithful  in  that  which  is  to  come  ? 

Pleasant,  happy,  and  beneficial,  as  had  been  the 
reunion  of  old  and  tried  friends,  to  celebrate  a  glo- 
rious event,  yet,  like  all  earthly  enjoyments,  it  was 
brought  to  a  termination,  reluctant  as  were  the  friends 
to  separate.  Since  that  day,  many  have  been  the 
demonstrations  of  grateful  joy  and  gladness  on  the 
glorious  anniversary  of  the  emancipation  of  slaves  on 
the  West  India  Islands;  and  yet,  in  this  boasted  "land 
of  the  free,  and  home  of  the  brave ;  "  this  famous  and 
declared  free  Republic, — the  American  slave  still 
clanks  his  heavy  chain,  and  wears  the  galling  yoke 
of  the  bondman ! 


CHAPTEE    XXXYII. 


CONCLUSION. 

FOR  several  years  past,  anti-slavery  truth  has 
been  spreading,  and  in  proportion  as  light  has 
shone  upon  the  "peculiar  institution,"  exposing  to  the 
world  its  crimes  and  blood, — enstamping  upon  its 
frontlet,  "the  sum  of  all  villainies," — has  the 
wrath  of  the  impious  slaveholder  been  kindled,  and 
his  arm  outstretched  to  strengthen  the  chain,  and 
press  closer  the  yoke  upon  the  helpless  slave,  proving 
conclusively  that  he  loves  darkness  because  his  deeds 
are  evil.  Nor  is  this  all ;  he  and  his  apologists  will  inso- 
lently tell  you,  that  you  are  the  guilty  ones  who  have 
tightened  the  bonds  of  the  slave,  increased  his  hard- 
ships, and  blighted  his  prospect  of  freedom,  by  your 
mistaken  kindness,  in  showing  the  slaveholder  the 
enormity  of  his  sin  !  Can  this  be  so  ?  Have  we  any 
direct  influence  over  his  human  chattels?  None. 
Then  who  is  it  that  rivets  the  chain  and  increases  the 


CONCLUSION.  317 

already  heavy  burden  of  the  crushed  slave,  but  he 
who  has  the  power  to  do  with  him  as  he  wills  ?  He 
it  is,  who  has  been  thrust,  unwillingly  perhaps,  into 
sufficient  light  to  show  him  his  moral  corruption,  and 
the  character  of  the  sin  he  is  daily  committing ;  he  it 
is,  whose  avarice  and  idleness  induces  to  hold  fast 
that  which  is  to  him  a  source  of  wealth, — and  by  no 
means  to  allow  the  same  light  to  fall  in  upon  the 
darkened  intellect  of  his  slave  property,  lest  his 
riches  "take  to  themselves  wings;"  or,  as  may  be 
more  properly  said,  talce  to  themselves  legs  and  run 
away. 

What  stronger  proof  can  we  ask  in  favor  of  our 
position,  than  the  intolerant  spirit  of  the  South  ?  If 
the  system  and  practice  of  Slavery  is  a  righteous  one, 
instituted  by  an  All-wise  Grod,  certainly  no  human 
power — especially  one  so  impotent  and  futile  as  the 
abolition  power  is  said  to  be — can  ever  overthrow  it. 
Why  then  are  the  mails  so  closely  examined,  and 
fines  imposed  on  prohibited  anti-slavery  documents? 
Is  it  beyond  their  power  to  confute  the  arguments 
adduced,  or  are  they  fearful  that  a  ray  of  Northern 
light  may  fall  on  the  mind  of  some  listening  slave, 
and  direct  him  to  the  depot  of  an  under-ground  rail- 
road ?     Judge  ye ! 

What  but  this  same  fearful  and  intolerant  spirit, — 
this  over-bearing,  boasting  spirit,  was  it,  that  cowardly 
attacked  a  Christian  Senator,  while  seated  unsuspect- 


318  CONCLUSION. 

ingly  at  his  desk,  and  felled  him  to  the  floor,  bleeding 
and  senseless  ?  Was  not  the  villainous  blow  which 
fell  upon  the  honored  head  of  Charles  Sumner,  dealt 
by  the  infamous  Brooks  of  South  Carolina,  aimed  at 
the  free  speech  of  the  entire  North  ?  Was  it,  think 
you,  a  personal  enmity  that  the  cowardly  scoundrel 
had  toward  our  worthy  Northern  Senator,  which 
induced  the  attack?  No,  no.  Brooks  spake  for  the 
South,,  and  boldly  has  it  responded — Amen  ! 

It  has  said  through  its  representatives,  that  you 
Northerners  are  becoming  too  bold  in  speaking  of  our 
sin,  and  we  will,  use  brute  force  to  repel  it — an  argu- 
ment with  which  we  are  familiar.  You  have  told  us 
that  we  ought  not  to  hold  slaves,  nor  extend  slave 
territory,  which  will  in  a  measure  destroy  our  slave* 
market,  and  prove  injurious  to  our  slave-breeding 
population.  You  have  told  us  we  have  no  right  to 
usurp  Kansas, — no  right  to  murder  "  Free  State  men," 
and  no  right  to  sustain  there,  a  set  of  "ruffians"  to 
make  Kansas  a  slave  State.  You  have  told  us,  that 
we  have  no  right  to  live  on  the  unrequited  toil  of  our 
slaves;  nor  to  sell  them  to  the  highest  bidder;  nor 
spend  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  in  idle  extravagance. 
Now  know,  all  ye  Northerners,  by  this  cowardly  blow 
on  the  devoted  head  of  your  honored  and  respected 
Senator,  that  we  shall  no  longer  permit  you  to  tell  us 
such  unpalatable  truths,  nor  allow  you  the  privilege 
of  free  speech !    We  have  too  long  held  the  balance 


CONCLUSION.  319 

of  power  in  the  government  to  yield  it  now;  and  we 
give  you  to  know,  that  whatever  we  ask  of  this 
government,  we  expect  to  obtain;  nor  will  we  hear 
any  of  yonr  objections.  When  we  desire  you  to  turn 
blood-hound,  and  hunt  for  us  our  fugitive  slaves,  we 
expect  you  to  do  it,  and  to  see  them  returned  to  their 
masters,  without  a  murmur  on  your  part.  Should 
you  object  or  dare  refuse,  we  shall  certainly  cane  some- 
body, or  else  do  what  we  have  threatened  for  the  last 
quarter  of  a  century, — "Dissolve  the  Uinon!" 
Bah! 

My  house  has  ever  been  open  to  the  fugitive  slaves ; 
but  more  particularly  when  I  resided  in  Eochester, 
did  I  have  occasion  to  see  and  feel  the  distresses 
of  that  class  of  persons;  and  it  appears  to  me,  that 
the  heart  must  be  of  adamant,  that  can  -turn  coldly 
away  from  the  pleadings  of  the  poor,  frightened,  fly- 
ing fugitive  from  Southern  bondage. 

For  many  years  past,  I  have  been  a  close  and  inter- 
ested observer  of  my  race,  both  free  and  enslaved.  I 
have  observed  with  great  pleasure,  the  gradual  im- 
provement in  intelligence  and  condition  of  the  free 
colored  people  of  the  North.  In  proportion  as  preju- 
dice has  diminished,  they  have  gradually  advanced; 
nor  can  I  believe  that  there  is  any  other  great  impedi- 
ment in  the  way  to  a  higher  state  of  improvement. 
That  prejudice  against  color  is  not  destroyed,  we  very 
well  know.     Its  effects  may  be  seen  in  our  down-cast, 


320  CONCLUSION. 

discouraged,  and  groveling  countrymen,  if  no  where 
else.  Notwithstanding  the  late  diminution,  it  exists 
in  many  of  our  hotels:  some  of  them  would  as  soon 
admit  the  dog  from  his  kennel,  at  table,  as  the  colored 
man ;  nevertheless,  he  is  sought  as  a  waiter ;  allowed 
to  prepare  their  choicest  dishes,  and  permitted  to 
serve  the  white  man,  who  would  sneer  and  scorn  to 
eat  beside  him.  Prejudice  is  found  also,  in  many  of 
our  schools, — even  in  those  to  which  colored  children 
are  admitted;  there  is  so  much  distinction  made  by 
prejudice,  that  the  poor,  timid  colored  children  might 
about  as  well  stay  at  home,  as  go  to  a  school  where 
they  feel  that  they  are  looked  upon  as  inferior,  how- 
ever much  they  may  try  to  excel. 

Nor  is  that  hateful  prejudice — so  injurious  to  the 
soul,  and  all  the  best  interests  of  the  negro — exclud- 
ed from  the  professed  church  of  Christ.  Oh,  no;  we 
often  find  it  in  the  house  of  worship,  in  all  its  cruel 
rigor.  Where  people  assemble  to  worship  a  pure  and 
holy  Grod,  who  can  look  upon  no  sin  with  allowance — 
the  creator  of  all,  both  white  and  black, — and  where 
people  professing  to  walk  in  the  footsteps  of  the  meek 
and  quiet  Jesus,  who  has  taught  us  to  esteem  others 
better  than  ourselves;  we  often  see  the  lip  of  some 
professed  saint,  curled  in  scorn  at  a  dusky  face,  or  a 
scowl  of  disapprobation  if  a  colored  person  sits  else- 
where than  by  the  door  or  on  the  stairs.  How  long, 
O  Lord,  must  these  things  be ! 


conclusion.  321 

Of  my  enslaved  brethren,  nothing  so  gratifies  me, 
as  to  hear  of  their  escape  from  bondage ;  and  since  the 
passage  of  that  iniquitous  "Fugitive  Slave  Bill,"  I 
have  watched  with  renewed  interest  the  movements 
of  the  fugitives,  not  only  from  Slavery  direct,  but 
those  who  have  been  compelled  to  flee  from  the  nomi- 
nally free  States,  and  ask  the  protection  of  a  monar- 
chial  government,  to  save  them  from  their  owners  in 
a  land  of  boasted  liberty  ! 

The  knowledge  I  have  of  the  colored  men  in 
Canada,  their  strength  and  condition,  would  cause  me 
to  tremble  for  these  United  States,  should  a  war  ever 
ensue  between  the  English  and  American  govern- 
ments, which  I  pray  may  never  occur.  These  fugitives 
may  be  thought  to  be  a  class  of  poor,  thriftless, 
illiterate  creatures,  like  the  Southern  slaves,  but  it  is 
not  so.  They  are  no  longer  slaves ;  many  of  whom 
have  been  many  years  free  men,  and  a  large  number 
were  never  slaves.  They  are  a  hardy,  robust  class  of 
men ;  very  many  of  them,  men  of  superior  intellect ; 
and  men  who  feel  deeply  the  wrongs  they  have  en- 
dured. Driven  as  they  have  been  from  their  native 
land;  unprotected  by  the  government  under  which 
they  were  born,  and  would  gladly  have  died, — they 
would  in  all  probability,  in  case  of  a  rupture,  take  up 
arms  in  defense  of  the  government  which  has  pro- 
tected them  and  the  country  of  their  adoption. 
England  could  this  day,  very  readily  collect  a  regi- 
es 


822  CONCLUSION. 

ment  of  stalwart  colored  men,  who,  having  felt  the 
oppression  of  our  laws,  would  fight  with  a  will  not 
inferior  to  that  which  actuated  our  revolutionary 
forefathers. 

And  what  inducement,  I  ask,  have  colored  men  to 
defend  with  their  lives  the  United  States  in  any  case ; 
and  what  is  there  to  incite  them  to  deeds  of  bravery?  L 

Wherever  men  are  called  upon  to  take  up  arms  in 
defense  of  a  country,  there  is  always  a  consciousness 
of  approaching  wrong  and  oppression,  which  arouses 
their  patriotism  and  incites  to  deeds  of  daring.  They 
look  abroad  over  fields  of  their  own  cultivation ;  they 
behold  too,  churches,  schools,  and  various  institutions, 
provided  by  their  labor,  for  generations  yet  to  come ; 
they  see  their  homes,  their  cherished  hearthstone, 
about  to  be  desecrated,  and  their  wives  and  little  ones, 
with  their  aged  sires,  exposed  to  the  oppression  of  a 
ruthless  foe.  Then,  with  what  cheerful  and  thrilling 
enthusiasm,  steps  forward  the  husband,  the  father,  the 
brother,  and  bares  his  bosom  to  the  sword, — his  head 
to  the  storm  of  the  battle-field,  in  defence  of  his 
country's  freedom,  and  the  Grod-given  rights  of  him- 
self and  family  !  But  what  sees  the  oppressed  negro  ? 
He  sees  a  proud  and  haughty  nation,  whose  Congress- 
men yearly  meet  to  plot  his  ruin  and  perpetuate  his 
bondage !  He  beholds,  it  is  true,  a  few  Christ-like 
champions,  who  rise  up  with  bleeding  hearts  to  defend 
ids  cause;    but  while  his  eye  kindles  with  grateful 


CONCLUSION.  323 

emotion,  he  sees  the  bludgeon  of  the  South — already 
reeking  in  the  blood  of  freemen — raised  and  ready  to 
fall  with  murderous  intent  upon  the  head  of  any  one, 
who,  like  the  illustrious  Sumner,  dare  open  his  mouth 
in  defence  of  Freedom,  or  speak  of  the  wrongs  of  the 
poor  negro,  and  the  sins  of  the  Southern  autocrat ! 

What  inducement  then,  has  the  slave  to  shoulder 
his  musket,  when  the  American  drum  beats  the  call, 
"  To  Arms  !  To  Arms !  "  Does  he  not  remember  that 
the  wife  of  his  bdsom;  the  children, — "bone  of  his 
bone,  and  flesh  of  his  flesh," — and  the  rude  hearth- 
stone they  for  a  time  are  allowed  to  surround,  belong 
not  to  himself,  but  to  the  tyrannical  master,  who 
claims  dominion  over  all  he  possesses.  As  his  pro- 
perty then,  let  the  slave  owner  go  forth  in  defence  of 
his  own,  and  lay  down  his  life  if  he  please ;  but  the 
poor  slave  has  no  home,  no  family  to  protect;  no 
country  to  defend;  nor  does  he  care  to  assist  in  sus- 
taining a  government  that  instead  of  offering  him 
protection,  drives  him  from  the  soil  which  has  been 
cultivated  by  his  own  labor, — to  beg  at  the  hand  of 
England's  Queen,  "life,  liberty,  and  the  pursuit  of 
happiness." 

Humiliating  as  it  is  for  an  American  citizen  to 
name  these  things,  they  are  nevertheless  true ;  and  I 
would  to  Grod  that  America  would  arise  in  her  native 
majesty,  and  divest  herself  of  the  foul  stain,  which 
Slavery  has  cast  upon  her  otherwise  pure  drapery! 


324  CONCLUSION. 

Then  would  she  be  no  longer  a  hissing  and  by-word 
among  the  nations;  but  indeed  what  she  professes  to 
be,  "the  land  of  the  free,  and  the  home  of  the  brave; " 
an  asylum  for  the  oppressed  of  every  clime. 

But  should  the  monarchial  government  of  England 
call  for  the  services  of  the  colored  man,  freely  would 
his  heart's  blood  be  poured  out  in  her  defence, — not 
because  he  has  a  particular  preference  for  that  form 
of  government ;  not  because  he  has  ceased  to  love  his 
native  country, — but  because  she  has  acknowledged  his 
manhood,  and  given  him  a  home  to  defend.  Beneath 
the  floating  banner  of  the  British  Lion,  he  finds 
inducements  to  lay  down  his  life,  if  need  be,  in 
defence  of  his  own  broad  acres,  his  family  and  fire- 
side,— all  of  which  were  denied  him  under  the  Stars 
and  Stripes  of  his  fatherland.  But  a  short  time  ago, 
the  colored  men  of  Cincinnati,  0.,  were  promptly 
denied  the  privilege  they  had  solicited,  to  join  with 
other  citizens,  in  celebrating  the  anniversary  of 
Washington's  Birth  Day  !  Oh,  no ;  there  must  be 
no  colored  man  in  the  company,  met  to  honor  him 
who  still  lives  in  the  heart  of  every  American  citi- 
zen,— "the  father  of  his  country," — and  yet,  who 
scorned  not  to  sleep  beside  his  faithful  negro!  Nor 
did  the  nephew  of  the  illustrious  General,  despise  the 
command  of  the  black  regiment,  which  Gen.  Jackson 
so  proudly  commended  for  their  bravery,  and  be- 
stowed upon  it  his  personal  thanks,  for  their  services 
on  the  field  of  battle. 


CONCLUSION.  325 

Do  the  Northern  or  Free  States  of  the  Union  think 
to  clear  their  skirts  of  the  abomination  of  Slavery,  by 
saying  that  they  own  no  slaves  ?  Yery  true.  But  is 
the  poor,  flying  fugitive  from  the  house  of  bondage, 
safe  one  moment  within  your  borders  ?  "Will  he  be 
welcomed  to  your  homes,  your  tables,  your  firesides  ? 
Will  your  clergymen  bid  you  clothe  and  feed  him,  or 
give  him  a  cup  of  cold  water,  in  the  name  of  a  disciple 
of  that  holy  Christ,  who  has  said, — "inasmuch  as  ye 
have  done  it  unto  one  of  the  least  of  these  little  ones, 
ye  have  done  it  unto  me?"  —  Or  will  your  own 
miserable  Fugitive  Slave  Law,  close  the  mouth  of  your 
clergy;  crush  down  the  rising  benevolence  of  your 
heart ;  and  convert  you  into  a  human  blood-hound,  to 
hunt  down  the  panting  fugitive,  and  return  him  to  the 
hell  of  Slavery  ?  Oh,  my  Grod ! — the  fact  is  too  hor- 
rible to  acknowledge,  and  yet  it  is  a  stubborn  one. 
Not  on  one  foot  of  land  under  the  broad  folds  of 
Columbia's  banner,  can  the  slave  say,  "  I  am  free ! " 
Hungry,  naked,  and  forlorn,  he  must  flee  onward; 
nor  stop  short  of  the  outstretched  arms  of  an  English 
Queen.  Yet,  thanks  be  to  our  Heavenly  Father,  that 
all  have  not  bowed  the  knee  to  the  Southern  autocrat 
or  slave  power.  A  few  noble  souls,  thank  Grod, 
remain,  who,  in  defiance  of  iniquitous  laws,  throw 
open  wide  their  doors  to  the  trembling,  fleeing  bond- 
man, whose  purses  are  freely  emptied  to  supply  his 
wants,  and  help  him  on  in  his  flight  to  the  British 


326  CONCLUSION. 

dominion.  But  can  these  out-gushings  of  a  benevo- 
lent heart — the  purest  impulses  of  a  noble  nature — be 
permitted  to  flow  out  spontaneously,  in  open  day- 
light ?  Alas,  no !  You  must  be  quiet ;  make  no 
noise,  lest  an  United  States'  Marshal  wrest  from  you 
the  object  of  your  Christian  sympathy,  and  impose 
on  you  a  heavy  fine,  for  your  daring  to  do  to  another 
as  you  would  he  should  do  to  you. 

Is  not  the  necessity  of  an  " under  ground  railroad" 
a  disgrace  to  the  laws  of  any  country  ?  Certainly  it 
is;  yet  I  thank  Grod,  that  it  does  afford  a  means  of 
escape  to  many,  and  I  pray  that  the  blessings  of 
Heaven  may  ever  rest  upon  those  who  willingly 
superintend  its  interests.  Oh,  my  country!  "When 
will  thy  laws,  just  and  equal,  supersede  this  humilia- 
ting necessity  I 

Is  my  reader  about  to  throw  the  blame  of  our 
nation's  wrong  on  England,  and  accuse  her  of  first 
tolerating  Slavery?  We  admit  it;  but  did  she  not 
repent  of  the  evil  she  had  done,  and  speedily  break 
every  yoke,  and  let  the  oppressed  go  free  ?  Certainly ; 
no  slave  now  breathes  in  England's  atmosphere.  But, 
say  you,  her  white  poor  are  slaves  to  the  aristocracy, 
from  which  sentiment  I  beg  leave  to  differ.  Oppressed 
they  may  be,  and  doubtless  are,  as  the  poor  are  apt  to 
be  in  any  and  every  country ;  but  they  are  not  sold 
in  the  market,  to  the  highest  bidder,  like  beasts  of 
burden,  as  are  the  American  slaves.    No  Englishman, 


CONCLUSION.  327 

however  poor,  destitute,  or  degraded  lie  may  be,  but 
owns  himself,  his  wife  and  children;  nor  does  he  fear 
that  they  be  sold  and  torn  from  his  embrace,  while  he 
is  laboring  for  their  support.  Poverty,  my  friend, 
does  not  comprise  the  bitterness  of  Slavery,  no  more 
than  "one  swallow  makes  a  summer," — nor  does  it 
consist  solely  in  ignorance  and  degradation.  Its 
bitterness  arises  from  a  .consciousness  of  wrong;  a 
sense  of  the  violation  of  every  right  God  has  given  to 
man,  and  the  uncertainty  of  his  future,  over  which  he 
has  no  control. 

If  the  American  people  flatter  themselves  with  the 
idea  of  getting  rid  of  the  hated  negro  race,  by  colo- 
nizing them  on  the  sickly  soil  of  Liberia,  or  any  other 
country,  they  will  surely  find  themselves  mistaken. 
They  are  Americans ;  allied  to  this  country  by  birth 
and  by  misfortune ;  and  here  will  they  remain,— not 
always  as  now,  oppressed  and  degraded,' — for  all  who 
have  any  interest  in  the  matter,  well  know  that  the 
free  colored  people,  are  rapidly  advancing  in  intelli- 
gence, and  improving  their  condition  in  every  respect. 
Men  of  learning  and  genius,  are  now  found  among 
those  with  fleecy  locks,  and  good  mechanics  with 
dusky  complexion. 

This  marked  improvement  in  the  condition  and 
rapid  advancement  in  intelligence  among  our  people, 
seems  to  have  alarmed  the  colonizationists,  and  made 
them  fearful  that  those  very  down-trodden  slaves,  who 


328  CONCLUSION. 

have  for  years  labored  for  nought;  whose  blood  and 
tears  have  fertilized  the  Southern  soil,  may,  perchance, 
become  their  equals  in  intelligence,  and  take  ven- 
geance on  their  oppressors  for  the  wrongs  done  them ; 
and  lest  they  should  do  so,  they  would  gladly  remove 
them  to  some  far-off  country. 

Yet  here,  in  North  America,  will  the  colored  race 
remain,  and  ere  long  in  my  opinion,  become  a  great 
people,  equal  with  the  proud  Anglo-Saxon  in  all  things. 
The  African  has  once  been  a  powerful  nation,  before 
Christian  Englishmen  invaded  her  coasts  with  rum, 
and  incited  her  chiefs  to  war,  by  purchasing  with 
gaudy,  but  worthless  trinkets,  her  conquered  captives ; 
and  we  have  every  reason  to  believe,  that  though  her 
glory  as  a  nation  has  departed,  that  her  sons  will  yet 
be  acknowledged  free  men  by  the  white  population  of 
this  country. 

There  have  been  black  generals  in  the  world  before 
Napoleon  was  born,  and  there  may  be  again;  and 
to-day,  notwithstanding  all  the  prejudice  against 
color,  that  everywhere  exists  in  this  guilty  nation, 
there  are  men  of  talent  among  us,  inferior  to  none  on 
the  earth;  nor  are  their  numbers  few,  though  rapidly 
increasing. 

"Well  may  the  South  arouse  herself,  form  societies, 
replenish  its  treasury  with  a  tax  imposed  on  the  free 
colored  people,  to  defray  the  expense  of  sending  man- 
umitted slaves  to  Liberia ! 


CONCLUSION.  329 

Listen  a  moment  to  the  cant  of  the  colonizationists. 
Hear  him  talk  of  the  duty  he  owes  to  Africa,  and  how 
happy,  how  intelligent,  how  prosperous  everything  is 
in  Liberia.  But  when  that  delightful  country  asks  to 
be  taken  into  fellowship  with  the  United  States,  and 
to  have  her  independence  recognized — ah,  then  he 
lifts  his  hands  in  horror  and  begs  to  be  excused  from 
so  close  a  relation. 

This  is  all  cant,  in  my  humble  opinion ;  and  when 
I  see  men  so  anxious  to  send  the  negro  out  of  their 
sight,  I  feel  quite  certain  that  they  are  conscious  of 
having  deeply  wronged  him,  and  think  to  remove 
him,  to  atone  for  their  guilty  consciences.  Would 
they  refuse  to  acknowledge  the  independence  of 
Liberia,  if  their  interest  in  the  colored  people  was 
genuine,  especially  when  several  other  nations  had 
done  so?  Oh,  no.  But  that  is  not  uthe  rub"  How 
could  one  of  our  lordly  nabobs  of  the  South,  sit  in 
Congress  with  perhaps  one  of  his  own  manumitted 
slaves  as  a  representative  from  Liberia  or  Hayti !  He 
would  die  of  mortification.  Yery  well  then ;  but  let 
him  talk  no  more  of  sending  colored  men  to  that 
country  to  make  them  free  men. 

The  colored  people  generally,  I  am  happy  to  say, 
have  a  right  conception  of  the  colonization  plan,  and 
will  never  be  induced  to  go  to  Africa,  unless  they  go 
as  missionaries  to  the  heathen  tribes,  who  certainly 
should  have  the  gospel  preached  to  them.     Some, 


330  conclusion-. 

from  a  sense  of  duty,  may  go  as  teachers, — which  is 
all  well  enough, — but  certain  it  is,  that  no  amount  of 
prejudice  or  abuse,  will  ever  induce  the  colored  race 
to  leave  this  country.  Long  have  they  been  oppress- 
ed; but  they  are  rising — coming  up  to  an  elevated 
standard,  and  are  fast  gathering  strength  and  courage, 
for  the  great  and  coming  conflict  with  their  haughty 
oppressors. 

That  there  must  be  ere  long,  a  sharp  contest  be- 
tween the  friends  of  Freedom  and  the  Southern 
oligarchy,  I  can  no  longer  doubt. 

When  our  worthy  ministers  of  the  gospel,  are  sent 
back  to  us  from  the  South,  clothed  with  a  coat  of  tar 
and  feathers;  when  our  best  and  most  sacrificing 
philanthropists  are  thrown  into  Southern  dungeons ; 
when  our  laboring  men  are  shot  down  by  haughty 
and  idle  Southern  aristocrats,  in  the  hotels  of  their 
employers,  and  under  the  very  eye  of  Congress; 
when  the  press  is  muzzled,  and  every  editor,  who  has 
the  manliness  to  speak  in  defence  of  Freedom, 
and  the  wickedness  of  the  slaveholder,  is  caned  or 
otherwise  insulted  by  some  insignificant  Southern 
bully;  and  when  at  last,  our  Mr.  Sumner  is  attacked 
from  behind,  by  a  Southern,  cowardly  scoundrel,  and 
felled  senseless  on  the  floor  of  the  Senate  chamber,  for 
his  defence  of  Liberty, — then,  indeed,  may  Northern 
men  look  about  them !  Well  may  they  be  aroused 
by  the  insolence  and  tyranny  of  the  South ! 


CONCLUSION.  331 

And  for  what  is  all  this  ?     Do  not  our  Southern 
men  know,  that  if  light  and  truth  are  permitted  to 
reach  the  minds  of  the  people,  that  Kansas  will  be 
lost  to  them  as  slave  territory,  wherein  the  Southern 
slave-breeder  can   dispose   of  his   own  flesh  to  the  f 
highest  bidder  !     Hear  them  talk  as  they  do,  in  their 
pious  moments,  with  upturned  faces,  in  solemn  mock- 
ery, of  returning  the  negro  to  his  native  Africa  !    How 
many  pure  Africans,  think  you,  can  be  found  in  the 
whole  slave  population  of  the  South,  to  say  nothing 
of   their   nativity  ?      Native   Africa,    indeed !     Who 
does  not  know,  that  in  three-fourths  of  the  colored 
race,  there  runs  the  blood  of  the  white  master, — the 
breeder   of   his   own   chattels!      Think   you,  that   a 
righteous  Grod  will   fail  to   judge  a  nation  for  such 
flagrant   sins?     Nay,  verily.     If  the  All- wise  God, 
who   has   created   of    one   blood   all   nations  of  the 
earth,  has  designed  their  blood  to  commingle  until 
that  of  the  African  is  absorbed  in  that  of  the  Euro- 
pean,— then  is  it  right,  and  amalgamation  of  all  the 
different  races   should   be   universally  practiced  and 
approved.    If  it  be  right  for  the  Southern  slaveholder, 
to  cruelly  enforce  the  mixture  of  the  races,  to  gratify 
his  lust,  and  swell  the  enormity  of  his  gains,  certainly 
it  cannot  be  wrong  to  amalgamate  from  choice  and 
affection.     Let  us  ask  then,  why  did  our  Omnipotent 
Creator  make  the  marked  distinction  ?     Certainly  not 
for  the  purpose  that  one  race   might  enslave   and 


832  CONCLUSION. 

triumph  over  another ;  but  evidently,  that  each  in  his 
own  proper  sphere  might  glorify  Grod,  to  whom  their 
respective  bodies  and  spirits  belong.  Why,  indeed, 
was  the  black  man  created,  if  not  to  fulfil  his  destiny 
as  a  negro,  to  the  glory  of  God  ? 

Suffer  me  then  to  exhort  you,  my  countrymen,  to 
cease  looking  to  the  white  man  for  example  and 
imitation.  Stand  boldly  up  in  your  own  national 
characteristics,  and  show  by  your  perseverance  and 
industry,  your  honor  and  purity,  that  you  are  men, 
colored  men,  but  of  no  inferior  quality.  The  greatest 
lack  I  see  among  you,  is  unity  of  action,  pardon- 
able, to  be  sure,  in  the  eyes  of  those  who  have  seen 
your  oppression  and  limited  advantages ;  but  now  that 
many  of  you  have  resolved  to  gain  your  rights  or  die 
in  the  struggle,  let  me  entreat  you  to  band  yourselves 
together  in  one  indissoluble  bond  of  brotherhood, 
to  stand  shoulder  to  shoulder  in  the- coming  conflict, 
and  let  every  blow  of  yours  tell  for  Freedom  and  the 
elevation  of  your  race  throughout  the  land.  Speak 
boldly  out,  for  the  dumb  and  enslaved  of  your  unfor- 
tunate countrymen,  regardless  of  the  frowns  and 
sneers  of  the  haughty  tyrants,  who  may  dare  lift 
their  puny  arm,  to  frustrate  the  design  of  the  Al- 
mighty, in  preserving  you  an  unmixed  and  powerful 
race  on  the  earth. 

While  I  would  not  that  you  depend  on  any  human 
agency,  save  your  own  unyielding  exertion,  in  the 


CONCLUSION".  388 

elevation  of  our  race ;  still,  I  would  not  have  you 
unmindful  of,  nor  ungrateful  for,  the  noble  exertions 
of  those  kind  white  friends,  who  have  plead  the 
cause  of  the  bondman,  and  have  done  all  in  their 
power  to  aid  you,  for  which,  may  the  Grod  of  the 
oppressed  abundantly  bless  them. 

Let  your  attention  be  given  to  the  careful  training 
and  education  of  the  rising  generation,  that  they  may 
be  useful,  and  justly  command  the  respect  of  their 
fellow-men.  Labor  for  a  competency,  but  give  not 
your  whole  attention  to  amassing  the  wealth  that 
perishes;  but  seek  to  lay  up  for  yourselves  "  treasures 
where  moth  doth  not  corrupt,  nor  thieves  break 
through  and  steal." 

'Suppose  not,  my  brethren,  that  your  task  is  a  light 
one,  or  one  that  can  be  performed  without  years  of 
patient  toil  and  unyielding  perseverance.  Our  op- 
pressors are  not  very  ready  to  credit  our  exertion, — 
too  often  forgetting  the  effects  of  our  long  degradation, 
and  vainly  expecting  to  see  us  arise  at  once,  to  the 
highest  standard  of  elevation,  able  to  cope  successfully 
with  those  who  have  known  no  such  discourage- 
ments or  disadvantages,  as  has  been  our  lot  to  bear. 

These  and  many  other  obstacles  must  be  bravely 
met,  and  assiduously  removed, — remembering  that 
Slavery  has  robbed  some  of  us,  and  prejudice  many 
others,  of  that  perseverance  so  necessary  to  the  accom- 
plishment of  any  enterprize ;  but  in  the  elevation  of 


334  CONCLUSION. 

ourselves  and  race,  let  us  never  falter  and  grow 
weary,  until  we  have  reached  the  elevated  station 
Grod  designed  us  to  occupy,  and  have  fitted  the  rising 
generation  to  fill  and  improve  it  after  our  earthly 
course  is  finished  and  we  leave  to  them  the  stage  of 
action. 

Allow  me,  however,  to  entreat,  that  no  success 
which  may  attend  your  determined  efforts ;  no  position 
which  you  may  attain, — may  ever  so  occupy  your 
mind,  as  to  cause  you  to  forget  for  one  moment,  the 
afflictions  of  your  countrymen,  or  to  cease  to  remem- 
ber the  groaning  millions  in  bonds,  until  every  slave 
shall  triumphantly  chant  the  song  of  deliverance 
from  Slavery's  dark  prison  house. 

Bear  with  me,  my  dear  brethren,  while  I  claim  a 
friend's  license,  to  say,  that  I  would  not  that  you 
place  implicit  confidence  in  any  of  the  political  organ- 
izations of  the  present  time;  but  remember  that  the 
majority  of  those  parties  are  diligently  laboring  for 
their  own  interest.  Look  you  then  to*  yours ;  are 
you  less  capable  of  securing  your  rights  than 
they  ?  Never  was  there  a  time  when  indolence  and 
supineness  among  us,  would  be  so  unpardonable  as 
now,  nor  when  so  much  depended  on  our  active  and 
judicious  exertions. 

Let  us  not  forget,  that  in  the  past,  we  could  and 
did  truthfully  complain,  that  we  had  no  helper, — ■ 
bound  and  crushed  beneath  an  overwhelming  weight 


CONCLUSION".  835 

of  prejudice  and  ignorance,  we  lay  helpless  at  the 
feet  of  our  political  spoilers.  A  favorable  change  has 
since  been  effected  in  the  public  sentiment ;  and  now 
that  we  see  thousands  who  are  willing  to  aid  us,  and 
as  many  more  who  will  not  hinder  our  labor, — shall 
we  fold  our  hands  in  idleness  ? — or  shall  we  renew 
our  energies,  in  the  cause  of  freedom  and  of  our  own 
advancement  ?  Although  we  may  not  implicitly  rely 
upon  the  political  exertion  of  others,  let  us  not  fear  to 
co-operate  with  the  friends  of  liberty  everywhere,  as 
far  as  a  good  conscience  will  permit,  and  our  limited 
privileges  will  allow,  by  our  determined  zeal  for  the 
right,  make  our  influence  felt  in  the  nation.  See  what 
wrong  and  oppression  our  white  brethren  have  met  in 
Kansas,  from  the  slave  power;  and  let  their  noble 
deeds  of  patriotism ;  their  liberal  sacrifices  for  freedom, 
be  not  only  our  example,  but  an  incentive  to  do  our 
duty. .  Have  they  more  at  stake  in  that  mighty 
struggle  than  we,  that  they  should  leave  their  homes 
of  refinement  and  comfort,  take  their  lives  in  their 
hands  and  bravely  contend  for  their  rights,  surrounded 
by  scenes  of  blood  and  carnage  ?  Certainly  not.  No 
people  on  the  earth  can  have  greater  incentives  to 
arouse  them  to  action,  than  the  colored  people  of  this 
country  now  have ;  I  trust  therefore,  that  our  future 
independence  and  prosperity,  will  suffer  nothing  from 
the  inactivity  of  our  race. 

Some  may  entertain  the  belief   that  the  African 


336  CONCLUSION. 

slave  trade  is  entirely  abandoned.  I  think  not.  Often 
are  seen  strange,  suspicions  looking  vessels,  lying 
along  the  African  coast,  for  no  other  purpose  than  that 
of  kidnapping  the  poor,  ignorant  natives.  Stealthily 
the  slave-trader  lands  his  wicked  crew,  in  the  vicinity 
of  some  negro  village  or  cluster  of  huts,  and  when  a 
favorable  opportunity  occurs,  he  and  his  men  rush 
upon  the  frightened  African,  burn  their  huts,  and  amid 
the  shrieks  of  the  captives,  and  the  groans  of  the  help- 
less and  aged,  who  have  been  trampled  down  in  their 
rude  haste  to  secure  the  young  and  able-bodied 
natives,  bear  them  to  the  vessel,  where  they  are 
stowed  away  in  the  hold  of  the  ship,  which  bears 
them  to  Christian  (?)  America,  where  they  are  sold  as 
slaves. 

Some  years  ago,  a  woman  engaged  in  washing 
clothes,  near  the  sea  coast,  had  a  lad  with  her  to  take 
care  of  her  two  younger  children — one  a  young  babe — ■ 
while  she  was  at  work.  They  wandered  away  a  short 
distance,  and  while  amusing  themselves  under  some 
bushes,  four  men,  to  them  strange  looking  creatures, 
with  white  faces,  surrounded  them ;  and  when  the  lad 
attempted  to  run  away,  they  threw  the  infant  he  held 
in  his  arms,  on  the  ground,  and  seizing  the  other  two 
children,  bore*  them  screaming  with  fear,  to  the  ship. 
Frantic  and  inconsolable,  they  were  borne  to  the 
American  slave  market,  where  they  were  sold  to  a 
"Virginia  planter,  for  whom  they  labored  sorrowfully 


CONCLUSION-.  837 

and  in  tears,  until  old  age  deprived  them  of  farther 
exertion,  when  they  were  turned  out,  like  an  old  horse, 
to  die;  and  did  die  destitute  and  uncared  for,  in  their 
aged  infirmity,  after  a  long  life  of  unrequited  toil. 
That  lad,  stolen  from  Africa's  coast,  was  my  grand- 
father. 

It  is  not,  however,  necessary  for  us  to  look  beyond 
our  own  country,  to  find  all  the  horrors  of  the  slave 
traffic!  A  tour  through  the  Southern  States  will 
prove  sufficient  to  satisfy  any  one  of  that  fact; 
nor  will  they  travel  over  one  of  them,  before — if 
they  have  a  heart  of  flesh — they  will  feel  oppressed 
by  the  cruel  outrage,  daily  inflicted  on  their  fellow- 
beings.  The  tourist  need  not  turn  aside  to  seek 
evidences :  he  will  very  readily  observe  the  red  flag 
of  the  auctioneer  floating  over  the  slave  pen,  on  which 
he  may  read  in  large  letters,  waving  in  the  pure  air  of 
heaven,  "Slaves,  Hoeses,  and  other  Cattle,  in  lots 
to  suit  purchasers  1 '"  He  may  halt  a  moment,  and  look 
at  the  multitude,  collecting  under  the  folds  of  that 
infamous  banner,  where  will  be  found  a  few  gentle- 
manly appearing  slave  holding  planters,  superbly 
mounted,  and  perhaps  with  their  servants  in  waiting; 
but  the  larger  number  he  will  find  to  be  drunken, 
coarse,  brutal  looking  men,  swaggering  about  in  the 
capacity  of  slave-traders, 

Let  him  enter  the  low,  dingy,  filthy  building,  occu- 
pied by  human  merchandize,  and  he  will  there  behold 

•     p 


838  CONCLUSION. 

husbands  and  wives,  parents  and  children,  about  to  be 
sold,  and  perhaps  separated  forever !  See  the  trader, 
as  he  examines  with  inhuman  indifference  the  bones 
and  sinews,  the  teeth  and  joints  of  the  articles  on 
hand,  even  of  females,  and  hear  him  make  inquiries 
concerning  her  capabilities,  that  would  make  a  savage 
blush!  And  see  the  miserable  woman  lift  her  red 
and  swollen  eyes  to  the  face  of  the  heartless  trader, 
and  the  next  moment  cast  a  dispairing  glance  over  the 
motley  crowd,  in  search  of  a  compassionate  look — a 
pitying  eye.  Should  she  see  one  countenance  wearing 
a  kind,  humane  expression,  it  will  most  likely  bring 
her  frantically  to  his  feet,  where,  kneeling,  with  up- 
lifted hands,  she  pleads:  "Oh,  Massa,  do  buy  me!  Do 
buy  me  and  little  Sam !  He  be  all  of  the  chil'ens  I 
got  left !  O,  Lord !  O,  Lord !  Do,  Massa,  buy  me, 
and  this  one  baby !  Oh,  do  Massa  I "  But  the 
weight  of  the  cow-hide  drives  her  to  the  auction 
block,  where  in  mock  solemnity  she  is  represented  as 
"an  article  of  excellent  breed,  a  good  cook,  a  good 
seamstress,  and  withal  a  good  Christian,  a  ra'al  gene- 
wine  lamb  of  the  flock  !  " — and  then  she  is  struck  off 
to  the  highest  bidder,  who  declares  that  he  "won't 
have  the  young'un  any  how,  'cause  he's  gwine  to 
drive  her  down  to  Lousianny." 

He  may  see,  too,  the  wild,  dispairing  look  of  some 
frightened  young  slave  girl,  passing  under  the  lustful 
gaze  of  some  lordly  libertine,  who  declares  himself 
"  in  search  of  a  fancy  article  for  his  own  use !  " 


CONCLUSION.  339 

One  after  another  is  taken  from  the  block,  until  all 
are  disposed  of,  amid  the  agonized  wail  of  heart- 
broken wives  and  mothers,  husbands  and  fathers,  and 
the  piercing  screams  of  helpless  children,  torn  from  a 
parent's  embrace,  to  be  consigned  to  the  care  of 
strangers. 

Nor  need  I  inform  our  traveler  of  the  inhuman 
method  generally  approved,  in  hunting  with  trained 
blood-hounds,  kept  and  advertised  for  the  purpose  of 
recapturing  any  poor  slave  who  may  attempt  to 
escape  from  this  cruel  bondage.  He  may  perchance, 
come  across  the  mangled  and  lifeless  body  of  some 
fugitive,  which  has  just  been  run  down  and  torn  in 
pieces  by  the  dogs  of  the  hunter !  Should  he  stop  a 
few  moments,  he  will  soon  see  a  hole  dug  in  the 
ground,  and  the  remains  of  the  slave  pitched  into  it, 
covered  sufficiently  to  hide  the  unsightly  mass  from 
view,  and  there  will  be  an  end  of  the  whole  matter ! 
"Shall  I  not  visit  for  these  things?  saith  the  Lord; 
and  shall  not  my  soul  be  avenged  on  such  a  nation  as 
this?" 

In  giving  to  the  public  this  unvarnished,  but  truth- 
ful narrative,  of  some  of  the  occurrences  of  my 
humble  and  uneventful  life,  I  have  not  been  influ- 
enced by  a  vain  desire  for  notoriety,  but  by  a  wil- 
lingness to  gratify  a  just  and  honorable  request, 
repeatedly  made  by  numerous  and  respected  friends, 
to  learn  the  truth  concerning  my  connection  with  the 


340  CONCLUSION. 


Wilberforce  colony;  the  events  which  there  transpired 
during  my  stay,  and  the. cause  of  my  losing  a  hard- 
earned  property.  Kegarding  the  affairs  of  the  colony, 
I  have,  therefore,  endeavored  to  be  particular, — be- 
lieving that  duty  to  myself  and  brethren,  required  me 
to  give  them  the  within  information;  but  nothing 
have  I  set  down  in  malice.  Much  more  might  have 
been  said  ralative  to  some  of  the  leading  characters  in 
that  settlement,  had  I  not  been  fearful  of  its  assuming 
the  character  of  a  personal  enmity  or  retaliation.  He 
who  knows  and  will  jndge  the  actions  of  men,  will 
bear  me  witness,  that  I  have  cherished  no  such 
feelings  toward  any  of  those  who  then  lived,  but  now 
sleep  in  death. 

In  justification,  however,  of  my  statements  regard- 
ing the  character  of  Mr.  Lewis,  I  will  call  the  attention 
of  the  reader  to  some  of  the  many  letters  received 
from  good  and  eminent  men,  to  show  that  I  was  not 
alone  in  the  low  estimate  of  his  virtues.  Gladly  I 
leave  that  unpleasant  subject,  hoping  that  nothing  in 
our  past  history  will  serve  to  becloud  the  bright 
future  beginning  to  dawn  on  the  prospects  of  our 
disfranchised  and  oppressed  countrymen. 


CORRESPONDENCE. 


Lettmi  from  A.  Steward  to  Wm.  L.  Garrison. 

Mr.  Garrison, 

Dear  Sir : — In  a  recent  examination  of  the  business 
transactions  between  the  Board  of  Managers  of  the  "Wilberforce 
Colony,  and  their  agent  Eev.  N.  Paul,  I  find  a  charge  made  by  him, 
and  allowed  by  the  board,  of  the  sum  of  two  hundred  dollars,  which 
he  paid  to  yourself.  Finding  no  receipt  or  acknowledgment  from 
you,  I  write  to  ask  you  to  favor  me  with  one,  or  an  explanation  of  the 
facts  in  the  case,  either  of  which  will  greatly  oblige  me,  as  I  design 
to  make  it  pubblc.  Truly  Yours,  &c, 

A.  STEWARD. 
Canandaigua,  W.  Y.,  May,  1856. 


Mr.  Garrison's  Reply  to  A.  Steward. 

Dear  Sir: 

You  state  that  Rev.  N".  Paul,  as  agent  for  the  "Wilberforce 
Settlement,  U.  C,  in  rendering  his  accounts  on  his  return  from  Eng- 
land, charged  the  Board  of  Managers  with  the  sum  of  two  hundred 
dollars,  paid  by  him  to  me  while  in  England ;  that  said  sum  was 


342  CORRESPONDENCE. 

allowed  by  the  board ;    adding  that  you  do  not  recollect  of  my  ac- 
knowledging or  giving  credit  to  the  Settlement  for  it. 

In  reply,  I  can  only  assure  you  that  there  must  be  a  mistake  in 
regard  to  this  item.  I  borrowed  no  money,  nor  had  I  any  occasion 
to  ask  a  loan  of  my  friend  Paul,  my  expenses  being  defrayed  by 
funds  contributed  by  friends  in  this  country ;  nor  could  I  with  pro 
priety  receive,  nor  he  give  me  any  part  of  the  money  contributed  for 
the  benefit  of  the  Wilberforce  Settlement;  hence,  a  loan  or  gift  from 
him,  could  have  been  nothing  more  than  a  personal  matter  between 
ourselves.  Moreover,  had  he  at  that  time  or  any  other,  given  me  in 
good  faith  the  sum  named  as  belonging  to  the  Settlement,  (believing 
that  as  we  were  laboring  together,  for  the  interest  of  one  common 
cause,  the  board  would  not  hesitate  to  allow  it,)  he  would  certainly 
have  demanded  a  receipt,  which  it  would  have  pleased  me  to  give, 
of  course,  that  he  might  satisfy  the  board  that  their  liberality  had 
been  disbursed  according  to  their  wishes,  or  his  judgment.  But 
receiving  no  money  from  your  agent,  will  be  a  sufficient  reason  for 
not  acknowledging  it,  or  giving  due  credit  to  the  Settlement. 

I  can  account  for  this  charge  on  his  part,  in  no  way,  except  that  as 
he  was  with  me  a  part  of  the  time  I  was  in  London,  and  we  traveled 
together  a  part  of  the  time,  during  which,  he  ably  and  effectively 
assisted  me  in  exposing  that  most  iniquitous  combination,  "The 
American  Colonization  Society," — he  charged  to  me,  (that  is,  to  my 
mission)  sundiy  items  of  expense  which  he  undoubtedly  believed 
justly  incurred  by  his  helping  me  to  open  the  eyes  of  British  phi- 
lanthropists to  the  real  design  of  that  society;  and  I  shall  ever 
remember  with  gratitude,  his  heartiness  and  zeal  in  the  cause  and  in 
my  behalf.  I  owe  much  to  the  success  that  so  signally  crowned  my 
mission,  to  his  presence,  testimony,  and  eloquent  denunciation  of  the 
colonization  scheme.  I,  however,  received  no  money  from  him,  and 
can  but  think  that  the  above  explanation  was  the  occasion  of  his 
making  the  charge,  and  which  I  trust  will  leave  on  his  memory,  no 

intentional  wrong. 

WM.  L.  GARRISON. 
Boston,  Mass.,  June,  1856. 


CORRESPONDENCE.  343 

Feom  Mr.  Baker  to  A.  Steward. 

Me.  A.  Steward, 

Dear  Sir : — Israel  Lewis,  the  former  agent  of  your 
Settlement,  last  spring  represented  to  me  the  suffering  condition 
of  your  poor,  and  requested  that  I  should  forward  some  goods,  for 
which  I  should  be  paid ;  I  did  so,  and  sent  goods  to  the  amount  of 
one  hundred  thirty-six  dollars  and  ninety-eight  cents.  The  goods 
were  sold  at  cost. 

I  am  also  endorsed  on  a  note  for  two  hundred  thirteen  dollars 
and  ten  cents,  which  falls  due  24th  of  this  month,  and  which  I  shall 
hare  to  pay.  This  note  was  given  by  Lewis  for  the  purpose  of  rais- 
ing money  to  fit  out  Mr.  Paul,  on  his  mission  to  England.  I  was 
promised  that  the  money  should  be  here  to  meet  it 

I  have  heard  nothing  from  Lewis  or  this  business  since,  and  as  I 
understand  you  are  the  agent,  I  must  look  to  you  to  make  provision 
to  meet  the  note,  and  pay  for  the  goods.  Good  faith  requires  that  all 
contracts  by  your  agency  be  fulfilled. 

Yours,  Respectfully, 

CORNAL  BAKER. 
New  York  City,  Dec.,  1833. 


From  Mr.  L.  A.  Spalding  to  a.  (steward. 

Dear  Friend: 

In  August  last,  Israel  Lewis,  accompanied  by  Rev. 
Nathaniel  Paul  called  upon  me  and  exhibited  a  power  of  attorney, 
signed  by  you  as  president  of  the  trustees  of  the  colony,  authorizing 
Lewis  to  take  loans,  <fcc,  for  the  benefit  of  the  colony. 

Feeling  a  deep  interest  in  the  progress  of  the  colony,  I  agreed  to 
become  security  with  E.  Peck,  at  the  Bank  of  Rochester,  for  the 
payment  of  seven  hundred  dollars,  which  soon  was  raised  by  Lewis 
on  the  note,  for  the  benefit  of  the  colony.     I  was  in  hopes  to  havt 


844  CORRESPONDENCE. 

seen  you.  E.  Peck  and  myself,  both  are  willing  to  aid  you  in  your 
noble  enterprise, — and  may  others  feel  the  same  disposition.  But  as 
we  have  families  and  friends,  who  look  to  us  for  support  and  protec- 
tion, it  is  proper  that  we  should  have  your  personal  pledge  to  save  us 
from  embarrassment. 

We  know  your  character  well,  and  we  have  also  great  confidence  in 
Israel  Lewis,  and  the  others  engaged  with  you, — but  none  of  them 
are  so  thoroughly  known  to  us  as  yourself. 

Our  asking  for  your  personal  pledge,  does  not  arise  from  any  fears 
that  the  note  will  not  be  paid ;  but  as  it  was  signed  to  aid  you,  we 
think  it  proper  that  you  should  respond  by  guaranteeing  that  we 
shall  not  be  injured. 

I  accordingly  copy  the  note  in  question,  and  write  a  guarantee 
which  I  wish  you  to  sign  and  hand  to  my  brother. 

I  feel  much  anxiety  in  regard  to  your  progress ;  in  your  forming 
schools;  religious  and  temperance  societies;  and  in  your  taking  every 
measure  to  elevate  ihe  unfortunate  colored  man  who  may  go  to  your 
colony  for  protection  and  improvement. 

Very  Respectfully  Yours, 

Austin  Steward.  LYMAN  A.  SPALDING. 

Lockport,  N.  Y.,  1831. 


From  the  Conventional  Board,  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  to  A.  Steward. 

Mr.  Austin  Steward,  Wilberforce,  U.  C, 

Esteemed  Friend : — I  am  charged  by  the  con- 
ventional board,  to  inform  you  that  at  the  last  session  of  the  general 
convention,  you  was  duly  elected  their  General  Corresponding  Agent, 
for  the  Wilberforce  Settlement  and  parts  adjacent.  Respectfully  and 
in  an  official  capacity,  would  I  ask  you  to  accept  the  appointment. 

And  in  pursuance  of  the  said  appointment,  the  board  would  be 
happy  to  have  at  least  a  monthly  correspondence  from  you,  on  all 
such  matters  as  may,  in  your  opinion,  be  thought  conducive  to  the 


CORRESPONDENCE.  345 

prosperity  of  the  settlement,  the  elevation  and  future  happiness  of 
the  free  people  of  color. 

In  particular,  we  would  wish  you  to  give  as  accurate  an  account  as 
possible,  of  the  number  of  settlers;  the  number  of  acres  as  pur- 
chased; at  what  price;  what  number  are  improved  and  under 
culture ;  what  number  of  houses  or  tenements  are  in  the  Settlement, 
&c,  &e. 

What  are  your  present  prospects  in  regard  to  crops ;  your  political 
idvantagea  or  disadvantages. 

We  would  also  respectfully  ask  you  to  inform  us,  what  number  of 
settlers  might  emigrate  there  each  year,  without  injuring  the  Settle- 
ment. Also,  what  kind  of  machines  you  most  need ;  also,  what  are 
the  terms  for  which  laborers  are  contracted  for  and  how  paid. 

The  board  have  been  thus  particular,  because  they  rely  with  full 
confidence  on  your  patriotism  and  capability,  which  have  been 
unanimously  assigned  to  you. 

You  will  perceive  our  object  is,  to  contribute,  as  far  as  lays  in  our 
power,  pecuniary  aid,  and  assist  in  securing  you  such  agricultural 
and  mechanical  emigrants  as,  in  your  opinion,  the  Settlement  may 
need ;  and  in  all  our  recommendations  to  you,  we  shall  endeavor  to 
have  an  eye  to  character,  knowing  full  well  that  by  that  alone  you 
must  stand  or  fall. 

We  have  been  informed  here  by  a  letter  (purporting  to  be  written 
by  a  Mr.  Stover),  that  the  Canada  Company  actually  refuses  to  sell 
land  to  colored  persons ;  and  that  *they  are  anxious  to  buy  out  the 
colored  settlers  at  Wilberforce. 

Be  pleased  to  inform  me  if  that  be  a  fact,  with  its  particulars ;  and 
if  there  be  any  disadvantages  in  purchasing  land  by  colored  emi- 
grants. 

The  board  would  be  happy  to  know  if  you  have  had  any  news 
from  your  agent  in  England.    If  any,  what  are  his  prospects  ? 

You  will  please  be  particular  and  candid  in  stating  your  wants 
(as  well  as  disadvantages)  to  us,  as  we  will  do  our  utmost  to  satisfy 
P* 


346  CORRESPONDENCE. 

them,  as  well  as  promote  the  happiness  of  the  settlers,  and  the  pros- 
perity of  the  Settlement. 

Be  pleased  to  answer  as  soon  as  possible,  for  we  as  brothers  in 
common,  feel  deeply  interested. 

"With  sentiments  of  sincere  friendship, 

I  remain,  yours, 

JUNIUS  C.  MORRELL. 
A  true  copy  from  the  record. 


Resolutions  passed  by  the  Boaed  of  Managers  of  the  "Wilber- 
force  Colony. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Managers,  held  September  30th, 
1831,  to  call  the  Agents  to  an  account : 

Resolved,  That  the  Report  of  N.  Paul  be  accepted,  and  unani- 
mously agreed  to. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Directors,  all  the  members  present, 
March  18th,  1832 : 

Resolved,  That  we  disapprove  of  the  conduct  of  Israel  Lewis,  in  his 
being  absent  so  long,  and  also  his  not  communicating  with  the  Board 
of  Directors,  and  not  informing  them  from  time  to  time,  how  he  is 
prosecuting  his  agency. 

Resolved,  That  the  chairman  of  this  board  be  instructed  to  write 
to  said  Lewis,  to  return  home,  and  lay  before  this  board  his  doings. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Board,  held  April  1st,  1832,  all  the  members 
and  Israel  Lewis  present  with  them,  he  made  the  following  Report, 
and  resigned  his  office  as  agent,  which  was  accepted : 

Lewis  said  that  seven  hundred  dollars  was  all  that  he  had  col- 
lected. That  he  paid  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  for  board  in  New 
York,  thirty-five  dollars  for  clothes,  and  two  hundred  dollar*  to  N 
Paul,  as  an  out-fit  for  England. 


CORRESPONDENCE.  347 


CIRCULAR. 


Thk.Boaed  of  Managers  for  the  Colony, 

To  the  Christians  and  Philanthropists  in  the  United  States  : 
We,  the  undersigned  inhabitants  and  Board  of  Managers  for  the 
Colony  of  Wilberforce,  beg  leave  to  state  that  the  frost  cut  off  the 
crops  in  this  part  of  the  country  last  year,  and  some  of  the  colonists 
are  in  great  need  of  assistance.  And  we  flatter  ourselves  that  when 
the  peculiar  circumstances  of  this  infant  Settlement  are  duly  con- 
sidered, this  appeal,  to  a  generous  and  discriminating  public,  will  not 
be  made  in  vain. 

The  board  are  sensible  from  the  cause  above  stated,  that  the  inhab- 
itants of  "Wilberforce  will  be  compelled  to  ask  aid  from  the  friends  of 
humanity  in  the  States,  or  they  must  suffer. 

Under  these  circumstances  they  commissioned  the  Rev.  James 
Sharp,  as  their  agent,  and  sent  him  to  the  States;  but  owing  to  the 
opposition  of  Israel  Lewis, — who  had  been  formerly  employed  as 
agent,  but  was  removed  from  the  agency  — jus  labors  were  almost 
wholly  lost  to  the  board. 

We  would  simply  say,  that  Lewis  was  acting  for  a  certain  company 
here ;  but  we  have  made  inquiries,  and  find  but  one  man  in  Wilber- 
force that  belongs  to  said  company,  and  he  is  an  old  man,  in  his 
dotage.  That  man  is  Simon  Wyatt.  We  might  say  more,  but  we 
think  there  has  been  enough  written  to  satisfy  the  public. 

In  consequence  of  the  unfaithfulness  of  Israel  Lewis,  and  the 
numerous  agents  that  may  be  looking  around  the  country  after  him, 
the  board  have  come  to  the  conclusion  to  dispense  with  a  traveling 
agent  for  the  present 

And  we  would  humbly  request  Lyman  A.  Spalding,  Esq.,  of  Lock- 
port;  E.  Peck,  Esq.,  of  Rochester;  Rev.  Dr.  Budd,  of  Auburn;  Charles 
Davis,  Esq.,  of  Ludlowville,  Tompkins  County,  N.  Y.;  Aruthur  Tap- 
pan,  Esq.,  city  of  New  York;  to  act  as  receivers  for  the  Colony.  The 
above  named  gentlemen,  will  see  that  the  funds  which  they  may 
receive,  be  faithfully  applied  according  to  the  wishes  of  the  donors. 


848  CORRESPONDENCE. 

All  money  placed  in  each  of  the  banks  at  Rochester  and  a  dupli- 
cate sent  on  to  the  Colony,  may  be  cashed  here  without  any 
discount. 

To  Christians  we  appeal :  by  the  brotherhood  of  Christ,  and  by 
their  own  hopes  of  being  united  in  him,  to  extend  to  us  the  means 
of  obtaining  bread ;  give  us,  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  of  your  abun- 
dance ;  give  us,  as  God  has  blessed  you,  for  the  poor  among  us  want 
bread  and  clothing. 

It  is  to  be  hoped  that  every  clergyman  in  the  States,  will  lay  this 
circular  before  their  respective  congregations,  and  give  every  person 
an  opportunity  to  throw  in  their  mite  into  the  treasury  of  the 
Lord! 

Austin  Steward,  Predt 
Joseph  Taylor,  Secy. 
Philip  Harris, 
John  "Whitehead, 
Peter  Butler, 
Samuel  Peterson, 
William  Brown. 


From  Rev.  J.  Budd  to  A.  Steward  and  Others. 

Messrs.  Paul  and  Steward: 

I  have  ever  taken  a  great  degree  of 
interest  in  the  welfare  of  your  colony,  and  have  in  various  ways, 
brought  it  before  the  public. 

It  has  pained  me  deeply  to  learn  that  there  are  divisions  among 
you.  The  whole  deportment  and  manner  of  Lewis,  who  has  been 
here,  has  evidently  impressed  the  public  in  his  favor.  Although  I  do 
not  wish  to  take  ground  as  his  advocate,  to  the  extinction  of  others,  I 
am  not  inclined  to  think  him  dishonest  from  the  testimony  now 
before  me. 


CORRESPONDENCE.  349 

But,  apart  from  him,  my  present  impression  is  that  the  most 
effectual  way  for  you  to  promote  the  cause  of  the  Colony,  is  not,  at 
this  stage  of  the  business,  to  appear  before  the  public  in  a  hostile 
attitude  to  Lewis. 

I  know  some  excellent  and  prominent  gentlemen  in  this  quarter, 
who  think  he  is  unkindly  treated ;  at  any  rate,  while  the  investiga- 
tion, lately  commenced  at  Albany,  is  going  on,  it  appears  to  me  not 
wise  in  you  to  put  forth  any  further  publication  reflecting  upon 
Lewis.  He  may  have  acted  imprudently ;  but  he  has  excited  him- 
self very  much,  and  should  the  idea  prevail  that  you  and  he  are  in  a 
state  of  collision,  it  would  be  very  bad  for  you. 

I  consider  your  Colony  as  a  very  important  matter,  and  will  do  all 
in  my  power  to  promote  your  welfare,  but  it  is  very  material  not  to 
prejudice  the  public  against  you. 

Before  I  move  in  the  matter,  I  wish  to  know  the  real  state  of  the 
matter  between  Lewis  and  the  Colony.  As  soon  as  I  can  know  that 
he  has  defrauded  you  and  deceived  the  public,  I  will  not  hesitate  to 
give  my  views  on  the  subject,  and  put  forth  any  efforts  in  my  power 
for  your  advancement. 

There  should  no  sectarian  or  party  feeling  be  allowed  to  creep  into 
your  institution. 

I  thank  you  for  naming  me  as  a  receiver  for  your  Colony,  and 
should  anything  come  to  me,  I  shall  hand  it  over  to  James  S.  Sey- 
mour, Esq.,  Cashier  of  the  Bank  of  Auburn,  who  should  have  been 
named  instead  of  me.  I  hope  you  will  put  his  name  in  my  place,  or 
at  any  rate,  name  him  with  me,  for  he  has  been  from  the  first,  much 
interested  in  your  behalf. 

If  you  will  allow  me,  I  will  briefly  say,  that  my  opinion  is,  your 
best  way  to  relieve  your  immediate  wants,  would  be  to  issue  a  brief 
circular,  stating  the  failure  of  your  crops,  your  newness  of  settle- 
ment, (fee,  (fee;  and  call  upon  the  public  for  help,  without  naming 
Lewis  or  alluding  to  your  difficulty  with  him ;  let  your  papers  be 
properly   authorized,   and   say  that  the   agent  you   employ  is   not 


350  CORRESPONDENCE. 

engaged  in  getting  funds  to  pay  for  land,  found  schools,  <fec,  but  to 

get  immediate  provisions  for  the  Colony. 

If  you  will  send  an  agent  here  and  prepare  your  circular  in  this 

way — let  it  be  short — and  1  will  print  it  and  give  copies  of  it  to  him 

for  circulation,  free  of  charge. 

"With  many  prayers  for  the  prosperity  of  your  Colony, 

I  am  your  Friend, 

JOHN"  BUDD. 
;    Auburn,  N.  Y.,  May,  1833. 


Reply  to  J.  Budd  by  A.  Steward. 

To  The  Rev.  J.  Budd, 

Sir : — We  feel  under  renewed  obligation  to  you, 
for  you  friendly  advice;  but  we  have  already  sent  out  several  copies 
of  our  circular  to  different  places,  and  probably  some  of  them  have 
beed  printed  before  this  time. 

We  have  no  object  in  view,  but  truth,  justice, — the  greatest  good  of 
the  Settlement,  and  of  our  brethren  in  general.  Israel  Lewis  has, 
however,  collected  large  sums  of  money,  for  oca*  relief,  of  which  we 
have  not  had  the  benefit.  Nearly  two  years  ago,  he  was  appointed 
agent  for  the  Colony,  to  collect  funds  to  build  a  meeting-hcuse,  to 
endow  schools,  &c.  In  less  than  one  year  he  received  more  than  two 
thousand  dollars,  which  he  squandered;  and  we  have  neither  meet- 
ing-house nor  schools,  nor  never  will  have,  so  long  as  the  money  goes 
into  the  hands  of  Lewis.  All  that  we  would  have  forgiven  him 
gladly,  if  he  would  consent  to  be  still  and  not  usurp  the  agency 
against  the  wishes  of  the  people. 

Sir,  is  it  not  expected  that  he  would  appear  well;  as  you  say,  that 
"the  whole  deportment  and  manner  of  Lewis,  who  has  been  in  this 
place,  evidently  have  impressed  the  people  in  his  favor," — while  col- 
lecting money  with  the  eye  of  the  public  upon  him.  But  follow  him 
home  into  another  kingdom,  and  there  see  the  man  in  his  true 


CORRESPONDENCE.  351 

character;  stripped  of  his  borrowed  plumage, — and  wc  will  guar- 
antee that  you  would  agree  with  us,  in  believing  that  he  is  an  arch 
hypocrite. 

We  should  be  sorry  to  prejudice  the  public  against  our  Settlement, 
more  especially  when  we  are  actuated  by  the  purest  motives, — that 
of  preventing  the  Christian  public  from  being  imposed  upon,  by 
drawing  large  sums  from  them  for  us,  as  they  suppose,  when  in  truth 
such  sums  never  reach  us  at  all. 

Sir,  we  know  that  you  are  actuated  by  the  purest  motives,  but  you 
are  deceived  in  the  character  of  the  man,  (Lewis).  When  I  was 
living  in  the  States  and  only  saw  him  there,  collecting  money  for  the 
poor,  I  thought  him  honest  as  you  now  do ;  but  two  or  three  years' 
residence  in  Wilberforce  Colony,  has  abundantly  satisfied  me  that 
his  object  is  to  get  money,  that  he  may  live  in  a  princely  style,  and 
not  for  the  benefit  of  the  poor  as  he  pretends. 

Such  are  the  true  facts  in  the  case.  We  should  be  glad  to  have 
the  name  of  James  S.  Seymour,  Esq.,  added  to  the  list,  and  any 
other  prominent  citizen  you  may  think  would  help  the  cause. 

In  regard  to  the  investigation  at  Albany,  we  do  not  see  how  the 
public  are  to  arrive  at  the  facts  in  the  case  from  any  statement  Lewis 
may  make ;  for  all  his  statements  that  I  have  seen  in  print,  are  posi- 
tively void  of  truth,  in  the  most  essential  part,  so  that  they  are  of 
little  or  no  importance  at  all  unless  substantiated  by  other  testimony. 

The  circular  contains  no  testimony  that  has  -not  been  heretofore 
laid  before  the  public.  Mr.  Benjamin  Paul  recently  wrote  a  letter  to 
the  editors  of  "The  Baptist  Register,"  in  which  he  stated  that  Lewis 
had  fed  and  clothed  the  colonists  like  a  father,  which  is  not  true;  and 
so  sensible  was  Paul  of  the  fact,  that  when  the  letter  reached  here, 
together  with  the  surprize  it  created  wherever  Lewis  was  known, 
that  Paul  cheerfully  contradicted  it,  confessed  that  he  was  mistaken, 
and  thus  made  it  known  to  the  public. 

We  certainly  have  no  sectional  feelings  in  the  matter,  though 
Lewis  has  labored  hard  to  impress  the  public  with  a  contrary  belief; 
and  he  has  even  brought  false  charges  of  the  basest  kind  against  our 


S52  CORRESPONDENCE. 

most  respectable  citizens,  all  to  draw  the  attention  of  the  public  from 
the  tine  facts  in  the  case. 

It  is  a  general  time  of  health  here  in  the  Colony.    The  season  is 
very  favorable ;  our  crops  look  well,  and  with  the  blessings  of  God 
we  shall  raise  enough  to  supply  our  wants  this  year. 
Yours,  with  due  respect, 

In  behalf  of  the  Colonists, 

A.  STEWARD. 
Wilberforce,  June,  1833. 


From  A.  Steward  to  G.  Banks  and  Others. 

Messrs.  Banks,  Wilber,  Brockenberg  &  Harris  : 

I  have  received  a  communication  through  your  corres- 
ponding secretary,  Mr.  James  C.  Brown,  and  I  hasten  to  answer  it 
The  last  communication  I  have  received  from  Mr.  N.  Paul,  was 
in  December,  1833,  at  which  time  he  was  vigorously  prosecuting  his 
mission,  as  will  more  fully  appear  by  the  annexed  copy  of  said  letter, 
which  I  cheerfully  send  you.    His  return  is  expected  daily. 

[Copy  of  N.  Paul's  Letter.] 

My  Dear  Brother  Steward: 

When  I  last  addressed  you,  I  informed  you  that  I 
expected  to  leave  this  country  before  a  return  letter  from  you  could 
be  expected.  I  therefore  stated,  if  I  remember  correctly,  that  you 
need  not  write. 

I  now  find  that  I  shall  be  detained  much  longer  than  I  then  calcu- 
lated; and  this  detention  is  owing  to  the  Slavery  question.  The 
friends  of  the  cause,  advised  me  to  forego  my  object,  until  that 
question  was  settled ;  and  then  they  would  turn  their  attention  to  my 
cause,  and  render  me  what  assistance  they  could. 

All  their  united  strength  was  needed  now,  while  that  question  was 


CORRESPONDENCE.  358 

pending.  But  thanks  be  to  God,  that  is  now  settled.  On  the  first 
day  of  August  next,  will  be  the  proudest  day  that  ever  Britain  knew; 
for  from  that  time,  henceforth,  there  will  not  remain  a  single  slay© 
throughout  His  Majesty's  dominions. 

The  friends  of  the  cause  are  now  turning  their  attention  to  Slavery 
in  the  United  States,  and  are  about  to  form  a  society  for  the  abolition 
of  Slavery  throughout  the  world.  They  all  think  highly  of  our 
Settlement,  and  will  give  it  their  cordial  support. 

The  leading  abolitionists  have  given  me  letters  of  recommendation 
throughout  the  Kingdom,  and  have  appointed  one  of  their  most  effec- 
tive men  to  travel  with  me, — his  name  is  John  Scoble,  a  very  ready, 
intelligent,  earnest,  and  an  eloquent  speaker.  I  think  1  can  do  more 
now  in  one  month,  than  I  could  in  three  before  the  question  was 
settled  in  regard  to  their  own  slaves. 

You  will  at  once  see  that  although  the  people  concluded  my  object 
to  be  an  important  one,  yet,  they  generally  thought  that  they  ought 
to  lend  all  their  aid  in  removing  the  stain  from  their  own  land  first. 
This  stain  is  now  effectually  effaced,  and  my  meetings  are  exceed- 
ingly crowded.  I  addressed  an  audience  at  Norwich  of  from  three 
to  four  thousand  persons,  week  before  last,  when  about  five  hundred 
dollars  was  collected.  So  you  see  I  am  getting  on.  I  start,  the  Lord 
willing,  next  week  for  Scotland,  and  shall  spend  the  winter 
there  and  in  the  North  of  England.  In  the  spring  I  shall  return  and 
take  passage  for  Canada.  I  doubt  not,  that  you  are  anxiously  looking 
for  my  return;  yet,  you  cannot  want  to  see  me  more  than  I  want  to 
return;  but  I  tell  you  now  as  I  have  told  you  before,  that  I  shall  not 
return  until  I  have  done  all  that  can  be  done  by  my  labor. 

Yours, 

If.  PAUL. 

Sibs: 

The  above  copy  will  give  you  all  the  receut  information  we 
have  received  concerning  the  mission  of  our  foreign  agent 


354  correspondence". 

Please  accept  my  kindest  regards,  with  my  acknowledgments  of 
your  distinguished  consideration,  while  I  remain, 

Yours  truly, 

AUSTIN"  STEWARD. 
Wilberforce,  U.  C. 


Feom  A.  Steward  to  Mb,.  Nell. 

Dear  Sib: 

We  are  glad  to  acknowledge  your  favor  of  October  last, 
and  to  hear  of  your  safe  arrival  in  England,  your  health  and  fair 
prospects. 

Since  my  removal  to  Wilberforce,  I  have  opened  a  school,  which 
Mrs.  Steward  has  engaged  to  teach  for  one  year;  while  I  shall  pro- 
bably devote  my  time  to  traveling  through  the  States,  for  the  benefit 
of  the  Colony,  which  is  indeed  poor,  and  in  want  of  some  assistance; 
and  yet,  not  a  dollar  have  we  in  the  treasury  to  help  them  with. 

Mr.  Paul  has  not  returned,  though  we  are  daily  expecting  him. 
Our  friends  in  New  York,  still  have  confidence  in  his  pledge  to  do 
right;  and  we  are  anxiously  expecting  its  fulfilment. 

Your  wife,  Mrs.  Nell,  and  the  children  are  well,  and  we  are  still 
doing  all  in  our  power  for  their  comfort;  but  my  means,  in  conse- 
quence of  having  been  so  much  abroad  the  past  season,  are  limited; 
by  which  you  will  see,  my  dear  Sir,  the  necessity  of  remitting  funds 
to  me,  that  I  may  make  your  family  more  comfortable  in  all  things, 
without  distressing  my  own. 

The  settlers  are  well,  and  are  looking  with  hopeful  expectancy  for 
you  to  do  something  handsome  for  them,  in  which  I  do  hope  they 
may  not  be  disappointed.  Lewis  is  still  in  New  York.  We  have 
appointed  another  agent,  named  Scott,  but  who  is  doing  nothing  for 
the  Colony  now. 

May  the  blessings  of  God  rest  upon  you,  and  your  endeavors;  your 
good  deportment  put  to  silence  your  enemies;  may  they  who  foresee 


CORRESPONDENCE.  355 

that  you  -will  cheat  the  poor  colored  children,  he  sadly  mistaken,  and 
your  good  deeds  finally  enrol  your  name  on  the  proud  list  of  philan- 
thropists, headed  by  a  Wilberforce  and  a  Clarkson. 

Yours,  in  great  haste, 

AUSTIN  STEWARD. 
Wilberforce,  Dec,  1835. 


From  L.  A.  Spalding  to  A.  Steward  and  Others. 

Dear  Friends: 

I  have  received  a  letter  from  Israel  Lewis,  New  York, 
requesting  me  to  forward  fifty  dollars  to  the  treasurer  of  the  Wilber- 
force Colony,  which  I  will  do  at  the  first  convenience.  I- sent  fifty 
dollars  some  time  since,  which  I  presume  was  received        * 

I  have  also  received  a  letter  from  B.  Lundy,  who  speaks  very 
flatteringly  of  the  Settlement;  but  gives  me  some  information  relating 
to  Lewis,  which  will  injure  you,  unless  you  act  wisely. 

Now  I  suggest  for  your  consideration,  whether  it  would  not  be  best. 
to  keep  perfectly  quiet  relative  to  him,  until  after  he  returns  and. 
settles  with  the  directors.  If  he  cannot  then  satisfy  you,  he  will 
no  doubt  surrender  up  his  documents  and  agency  like  a  man,  and 
leave  you  to  appoint  another. 

By  all  means  you  must  agree  among  yourselves,  not  suffering  any 
difference  of  opinion  to  become  public.  Your  enemies  will  seize 
upon  this,  and  injure  your  prospects;  besides,  you  gain  nothing  by  it. 
Your  friends  too,  could  then  say  that  you  acted  imprudently.  I  hope 
to  have  a  good  account  of  the  settlement  of  your  difficulties  if  any 
should  exist. 

Respectfully  your  Friend, 

LYMAN  A.  SPALDING. 
Austin  Steward  &  Benj.  Paul. 

Lockport,  N.  Y.,  2d  Mo.,  4th,  1832. 


356  CORRESPONDENCE. 

From  Rev.  S.  E.  Cornish  to  A.  Steward. 

Dear  Steward: 

I  have  this  day  received  your  letter,  and  God  willing, 
I  will  be  with  you  in  the  course  of  ten  or  twelve  days.  Please  to 
keep  your  people  together,  imtil  I  come.  I  will  see  that  they  he 
not  oppressed  by  that  notorious  Israel  Lewis.  I  believe  him  to  be 
one  of  the  worst  men  living,  whose  deeds  will  yet  come  to  light.  Do 
stay  in  the  Colony  and  keep  all  things  as  they  are  until  I  come. 
Yours,  with  high  esteem, 

SAMUEL  E.  CORNISH. 

P.  S. — I  am  glad  that  Mrs.  Steward  is  in  Rochester;  your  Colony 
is  by  no  means  suited  to  her  talents  and  refined  mind.  She  never 
could  be  happy  there.  My  love  to  all  the  Colonists;  I  will  do  every 
thing  for  them  in  my  power.  S.  E.  C. 


From  B.  Lundy  to  A.  Steward  and  Others. 

.Esteemed  Friends: 

Again  I  take  this  method  of  communicating 
some  private  information  to  my  personal  friends,  relative  to  my  pro- 
ceedings in  Mexico.  My  last  visit  to  that  country,  (like  the  one 
preceding),  having  been  prolonged  far  beyond  the  time  which  I  had 
anticipated,  I  feel  it  incumbent  on  me  to  explain  the  causes  thereof 
especially  to  such  as  take  an  interest  in  the  enterprize  in  which  I 
have  engaged,  and  those  who  have  kindly  assisted  me  with  means  to 
defray  the  expenses  of  my  journey,  <fcc. 

Soon  after  the  date  of  my  last  printed  letter,  which  was  issued 
from  this  place,  I  went  to  New  Orleans,  with  the  intention  of  taking 
a  passage  by  sea,  to  some  port  in  Mexico;  but  after  waiting  in  that 
city  about  two  weeks,  and  finding  no  opportunity  to  obtain  one,  I 
proceeded  up  the  Red  River,  and  journeyed  through  Texas  again  by 


CORRESPONDENCE.  357 

land.  My  health  continued  very  good  for  some  length  of  time;  but 
when  I  reached  the  middle  part  of  the  Texas  country,  it  was  my 
misfortune  to  come  again  in  contact  with  the  direful  **  cholera,"  and 
again  I  was  the  subject  of  its  virulent  attacks.  My  detention  was 
great,  and  affliction  severe;  though  I  finally  expelled  the  disorder  as 
I  had  done  before.  My  sufferings  were  somewhat  aggravated  in 
several  instances,  by  the  fearful  prejudices  of  the  people  among 
whom  I  traveled.  I  was  veiy  anxious  to  get  through  my  journey, 
and  often  assayed  to  travel  before  I  was  in  fact  well  enough.  The 
consequence  was,  that  I  frequently  took  relapses,  and  sometimes  had 
to  he  out  under  trees,  even  in  time  of  rain,  within  sight  of  houses, 
the  people  being  unwilling  to  give  me  shelter  therein,  fearing  that  my 
disorder  was  contagious. 

At  length  I  reached  the  Mexican  town  of  San  Antonio  de  Bexar, 
and  there  I  tarried,  until  I  had  got  pretty  well  rid  of  the  cholera.  I 
then  pursued  my  journey  to  Monclova,  the  seat  of  government  for  the 
State  of  Coahuila  and  Texas,  in  company  with  several  Mexican 
gentlemen  and  foreigners.  Previous  to  this  time,  I  had  traveled 
several  hundred  miles  entirely  alone,  and  generally  encamped  in  the 
woods  or  plains  at  night.  On  my  arrival  at  Monclova,  I  was  doomed 
to  encounter  "misfortune"  of  a  very  different  character.  Here  I 
found  that  the  Englishman,  (mentioned  in  my  other  letter),  with 
whom  I  had  contracted  to  petition  for  two  grants  of  land,  had  totally 
failed  in  his  application.  The  petition  had  been  laid  before  the 
Governor,  and  he  was  about  issuing  the  grants,  when  he  received  a 
decree  from  the  Legislature — which  was  then  in  session — forbidding 
him  to  grant  any  more  land,  under  any  pretext.  This  measure  was 
taken  to  prevent  the  great  land  speculators  from  carrying  on  their 
swindling  operations  in  Texas.  An  act  was  soon  after  passed  by  that 
Lody,  repealing  all  their  Colonization  laws;  and  thus  every  hope  that 
I  had  so  fondly  entertained,  and  each  fair  prospect,  seemingly  so 
near  its  realization,  was  instantly  blasted  and  utterly  destroyed!  If  ever 
the  fortitude  of  man  was  tried,  mine  was  then.  If  ever  stoic  philoso- 
phy might  be  successfully  called  to  the  aid  of  human  courage,  I 


358  CORRESPONDENCE. 

felt  the  necessity  of  invoking  it  upon  that  occasion.  Nearly  two 
years  of  toil,  privation  and  peril,  have  been  wasted.  My  sufferings 
had  been  great,  though  my  spirit  soared  on  the  bouyancy  of  hope. 
Now  the  fair  superstructure  of  an  important  enterprise,  whose  ideal 
magnitude  had  employed  my  mind,  to  the  exclusion  of  many  hard- 
ships endured,  suddenly  vanished  from  my  sight,  and  left  before  me 
a  hideous  and  gloomy  void  with  no  other  encouragement  than  total 
disappointment,  conscious  poverty  and  remediless  despair !  What 
should  I  then  have  done  ?  My  health  was  restored,  but  my  detention 
and  consequent  expenses  had  been  so  great  that  my  funds  were 
nearly  exhausted.  I  came  to  the  country  for  an  important  purpose; 
and  1  reasoned  with  myself  thus ;  although  my  way  is  closed  in  this 
State,  cannot  something  be  done  elsewhere  ?  I  will  not  boast  of  the 
stoutest  heart  among  men,  but  mine  must  not  quail.  Something  fur- 
ther must  be  done  if  possible,  and  I  will  try. 

In  the  course  of  my  travels,  I  had  seen  a  part  of  the  adjoining  State 
of  Tamaulipas,  and  had  been  informed  that  the  colonization  laws 
thereof  were  liberal.  I  was  even  aware  that  some  parts  of  it  are 
more  suitable  for  the  culture  of  the  sugar  cane,  than  any  tract  I 
could  have  obtained  in  Coahuila  and  Texas.  And  upon  a  little 
reflection,  I  determined  to  make  further  investigations  in  Tamauli- 
pas, and  had  been  informed  of  the  State.  As  soon  a-  my  horse  was 
a  little  rested,  I  set  out,  alone,  on  a  journey  of  between  four  and  five 
hundred  miles,  part  of  the  way  through  an  awfully  mountainous 
region,  and  much  of  it  an  uninhabited  wilderness.  I  encamped  out 
almost  every  night,  during  the  whole  journey;  very  seldom  near  any 
human  habitation.  I  had  no  fire-arms  nor  anything  to  defend  myself 
against  the  ferocious  beasts  of  the  forest,  which  I  had  evidence  to 
convince  me  were  frequently  numerous,  and  not  far  distant.  In  two 
weeks  I  reached  the  city  of  Matamoras,  in  the  State  of  Tamaulipas, 
quite  destitute  of  funds,  after  pairing  with  almost  every  disposable 
article  belonging  to  my  wardrobe,  cfec.  The  people  of  this  place 
being  all  perfect  strangers  to  me,  I  did  not  for  a  while  unfold  to  them 
the  real  object  of  my  visit;  but  instead  thereof,  I  opened  a  shop,  and 


CORRESPONDENCE.  359 

commenced  -working  at  my  old  trade — the  saddling  business.  I  soon 
got  as  much  work  as  I  could  do — supported  myself,  replenished  my 
pocket,  made  some  acquaintance  with  a  number  of  people,  and 
obtained  more  information  respecting  the  Colonization  laws  of  the 
State.  A  few  weeks  elapsed,  while  I  was  employed  in  this  way.  I 
then  mounted  my  horse  again,  and  proceeded  to  the  capital  of  the 
State;  and  after  negotiating  for  some  time  with  the  Governor  and 
Council  of  the  State,  I  succeeded  in  obtaining  a  grant  of  land,  upon 
advantageous  terms.  I  then  performed  another  journey  of  almost 
two  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  "alone,"  to  Matamoras  again;  and  soon 
thereafter  embarked  for  the  United  States. 

My  friends  will  thus  perceive  that  I  have  not  been  idle;  though 
much  time  has  been  occupied  in  my  last  expedition.  I  shall  not 
attempt  to  excite  their  sympathy  by  exhibiting  the  twentieth  part  of 
what  I  have  suffered.  I  do  not  even  like  to  look  back  upon  some  of 
the  scenes  through  which  I  have  passed.  But  thanks  to  a  kind  and 
all-sustaiuing  Providence,  complete  success  has  at  last  crowned  my 
exertions.  I  strove  hard  to  command  it;  and  I  leave  it  to  others  to 
say  whether  I  have  deserved  it  or  not. 

The  terms  upon  which  I  have  obtained  my  grant  of  land 
will  be  noticed  in  a  public  address,  which  I  shall  forward  with  this 
letter. 

Since  my  arrival  in  this  place,  I  have  been  confined  by  sickness; 
but  am  now  convalescent,  and  shall  visit  my  friends  to  the  eastward, 
as  soon  as  circumstances  will  permit.  I  cannot  close  this  communi- 
cation, without  an  expression  of  my  sincere  thanks  to  those  kind 
friends  who  rendered  me  assistance  in  defraying  the  expenses  of  my 
last  Mexican  tour.  Their  favors  will  be  most  gratefully  remem- 
bered, and  I  shall  feel  myself  under  additional  obligations  to  labor 
for  the  melioration  of  the  condition  of  the  poor  and  suffering 
slave. 

In  the  next  numher  of  the  "  Genius  of  Universal  Emancipation," 
T  shall  insert  the  names  of  those  who  contributed  to  aid  me  in  the 


360  CORRESPONDENCE. 

prosecution  of  my  enterprise;  and  correct  information  relative  to 
all  proceedings  therein,  will  be  given  in  the  pages  of  that  work,  as 
the  business  connected  with  it  progresses. 

I  am,  most  respectfully,  your  Friend, 

N.  &  B.  Paul,  B.  LUNDY. 

Austin  Steward, 

Rev.  J.  Sharp. 

Nashville,  5th  Mo.,  1835. 


THE   END. 


